CEMEX Goes Green for New U.S. Headquarters

The U.S. headquarters for CEMEX Inc., will be constructed as one of the few green buildings in Houston, further showcasing the company’s commitment to the environment through sustainable development practices.

According to the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Houston chapter, there are currently less than 15 LEED certified buildings in the area. The new CEMEX USA headquarters will be the largest green building of its kind in Houston, and CEMEX’s concrete will play a major role.

Much of the concrete will reflect more of the sun’s energy during the day and does not radiate as much stored heat at night. This reduces the urban heat island effect, as it decreases the building’s energy usage and the demand on air conditioning systems, especially in the summertime. In addition, the CEMEX concrete mixes also employ recycled alternative materials, such as fly ash.

The average LEED certified building uses 32 percent less electricity and saves 350 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually.

The new facility is currently being constructed near the Memorial City Mall in west Houston. CEMEX will occupy 170,000 square feet of the 325,000 square foot office building. The construction is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2009.

Technical Conference Nets Record Attendance

This year’s 50th Annual IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Industry Technical Conference closed out last month with a record attendance of 1,186. A total of twenty six individual papers, two panel discussions, and four tutorials were presented at the conference, held May 18-23 in Miami, Fla. PCA’s Manufacturing Technical Committee meetings and the PCA Annual Safety Awards Luncheon were also held in conjunction with the conference.

Top honors for the best paper presented went to Nicholas Miller, Dillip Guru, and Ken Clark for “Wind Generation Applications for the Cement Industry.” Don Taubert of Capitol Aggregates and Wayne Adaska, PCA director of public works, received second place for “Beneficial Uses of Cement Kiln Dust.” The third place award went to Michael Jones, Dennis Laudal, and John Pavlish for “Mercury Emission Monitoring for the Cement Industry.” All twenty six individual papers are available on the conference proceedings CD-ROM, through PCA’s bookstore.

More than 500 attendees toured Titan America’s Pennsuco Facility. The facility nearly doubled its production capability from one million to 2.4 million tons annually with the completion of its modernization project in 2004. This new state-of-the-art facility is the largest in Florida and is recognized as one of the most environmentally friendly in the United States.

The 2009 conference is scheduled for May 31-June 4 in Palm Springs, California. The host hotel is the Desert Springs JW Marriott Resort and Spa. Participants will tour the brand new TXI Oro Grande Cement Plant.
More on the conference at www.cement.org/manufacture/

All materials see increases in April

Steel prices grew for the sixth consecutive month in April, increasing sharply by 5.5% from March figures. (Click on graph to enlarge.)

According to the April 2008 Producer Price Index (PPI), lumber prices rose after months of decline, increasing 0.3% from the previous month.

Asphalt prices were also up, 1.7% from the previous month. Concrete increased 1.3%.

Steel prices have increased 10.2% within the last year. Asphalt prices have climbed 5.1% and concrete prices grew by 3.4%. During the last year lumber prices have declined by 8.0%.

Source: Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. PCA provides this information to aid in the promotion of concrete and cement-based products.
More information
Contact Craig Schulz

60 Plants Honored for Safety Record

On May 21, PCA hosted the annual Safety Award Luncheon in conjunction with the 50th IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Industry Technical Conference in Miami. In all, 60 facilities received awards or recognition for their records in calendar year 2007.

Mark W. Rock, chair of the Occupational Health and Safety Committee, and Brian McCarthy, PCA president and CEO, presented the awards. The ceremony honored 55 facilities that operated without a lost-time accident (three categories of awards, 1-year, 2-4 years, and 5 years or more), while 19 facilities received an award for 1 million or more hours of operation without a lost-time accident.

In addition to the awards recognizing safety at cement plants, PCA also presented the second annual Terminal Safety Awards at the luncheon.  Nine terminals received plaques for 40 or more years without a lost-time accident.  Additionally, 167 terminals that operated without a lost-time accident in one of three categories—30 to 39 years, 20 to 29 years, 10 to 19 years, 5 to 9 years—were recognized.
Contact Donna Wortman

PCA Recognizes Smart Safe Thinking

PCA presented eight facilities with the 2008 PCA Safety Innovation Awards at an award luncheon at the 50th Annual Cement Industry Technical Conference in Miami on May 21. The Innovation in Safety Awards honor innovative safety practices, programs and projects; communicate these ideas to members of the cement industry; and raise the profile and importance of safety programs both within and outside of the industry. Winners are featured in the current issue of Cement Americas magazine, which cosponsored the awards.

Members of PCA’s Occupational Health and Safety Committee, Board of Directors, and a representative of Mines Safety and Health Administration judged 74 entries this year.

The 2008 winners were:

> Lafarge North American Inc.—Ravena, N.Y.
> Arizona Portland Cement Company—Rillito, Ariz.
> GCC of America, Inc.—Rapid City, S.D.
> Buzzi Unicem USA Inc.—Greencastle, Ind.
> Mitsubishi Cement Corporation—Lucerne Valley, Calif.
> GCC of America, Inc.—Tijeras, N.M.
> Lafarge North America Inc.—Toledo, Ohio
> Cemex—Davenport, Calif.
Contact Donna Wortman

PCA Demonstrates Concrete Thinking at AIA

PCA highlighted the variety of ways that cement-based products contribute to sustainable development at its exhibit at the American Institute of Architects' 151st annual conference, May 15-17, in Boston. Nearly 200 visitors to the PCA booth were able to access ConcreteThinker.com, the concrete industry’s top online resource for sustainable development—to learn about the green applications and benefits for concrete. PCA also featured an eye-catching pervious concrete display where attendees witnessed first-hand how this innovative application for sidewalks and parking lots helps improve stormwater management.

Additionally, David Shepherd, AIA, LEED AP, PCA’s director of sustainable development, presented “Myth Busting What You Know About Concrete: Optimizing Concrete Solutions in Your Next Project,” an AIA continuing education seminar that addressed eight sustainable applications of concrete.  Approximately 100 architects attended. 
Contact David Shepherd

HPC Bridge Views is Now Electronic

HPC Bridge Views provides current information on the design and construction of high performance concrete (HPC) bridges. Sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration and published by the National Concrete Bridge Council, the newsletter includes articles on design, construction practice, and concrete mixes used on actual bridge projects and research findings. HPC Bridge Views is designed so that bridge professionals can keep abreast of the latest information on such topics as high-strength, lightweight, and self-consolidating concrete, durability, structural design, and testing.

Published every two months, new and previous issues of HPC Bridge Views are posted on the dedicated Web site.
Sign-up to receive HPC Bridge Views http://www.hpcbridgeviews.org/

Concrete Fiesta for the Arizona Engineers: This year’s convention of the Arizona Structural Engineering Association focused entirely on concrete. The 170 registrants listened to presentation topics ranging from monolithic concrete dome construction, reinforcing detailing, post-tensioned construction, and the latest  developments in the ACI Code.  Attila Beres, western regional manager of the PCA buildings program, was one of the speakers at the convention, which was held May 29-31 in Phoenix.
Contact Attila Beres

At Home with Concrete in Tennessee: Mike Collignon, residential promotion manager, made a recent visit to Middle Tennessee State University's Concrete Industry Management (CIM) Program, where he presented guest lectures in two CIM courses, two  construction management classes and a class on energy and the environment. More than 200 students attended the five sessions.
Contact Mike Collignon

Toolbox of Pavement Solutions Presented to Dallas County: The Cement Council of Texas unveiled a concrete and cement-based pavement solutions initiative at the Dallas County Administration Building in May. Don Holzwarth, public works director for the County, had requested training for the County’s engineering and construction staff, focusing on long-term, low-maintenance pavement solutions for the taxpayers. 

The County wants to broaden its approach to capital improvement and maintenance projects by expanding the cement and concrete pavement alternatives considered, bringing greater value to the taxpayer. The County’s engineering and construction forces have a wide impact in the area, as they routinely partner with the City of Dallas and surrounding municipalities on local road projects. CCT will hold follow-up training that provides a greater depth of understanding for each cement and concrete alternative.
Contact Jan Prusinski

FDR Showcased to Alabama Officials: The Southeast Chapter of the American Concrete Pavement Association conducted an open house at a Full-Depth Reclamation project under construction. Held at the Chambers County Highway Department on May 21, About 55 DOT and county engineers  toured a project to reclaim and widen a county road. Higher asphalt prices are generating renewed interest in FDR and chip seal as a rehabilitation technique for low volume roads.
Contact Robert Taylor