Sunny Isles Community School:
Small Site, Big Results

A small site with poor soils doesn't sound like a builder’s dream. However, the builders of Sunny Isles Beach K-8 Community School, in Florida’s Miami-Dade County, easily overcame these limitations by using concrete.

Builders used pilings and grade beams to provide the necessary foundation, while tilt-up panels and composite slabs carried the upper levels of the building. 

Normally a school of this size (211,000 square feet) would be built on about 8 acres, but designers had just 2.1 acres to work within. To compensate, they used a vertical floor plan and a detailed layout pattern and pouring and lifting sequence for the tilt-up panels. Some panels were nearly 85 feet tall and some nearly 35 feet wide.

The visually arresting structure features intersecting concrete planes at the entry, a cantilevered exterior staircase, and connecting second-floor concrete bridges. A yellow, blue, and gray color scheme highlights architectural features and with some horizontal ribs, via formliners, for texture.

Completed in just 26 months from design commission to opening for student education, the school came in within its $36-million budget, and provides students with 83 classrooms, a media center, a cafetorium and administrative areas, as well as specialty music, art and science labs.
Contact Jamie Farny

SHARE Button Added to Executive Report

The PCA Executive Report now includes a "SHARE" button that allows viewers to easily share newsletter articles with colleagues and industry allies via e-mail and social networking sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, and more.

Through your Web browser, simply move your mouse over the "SHARE" button on the top of the newsletter and select the media you would like to use to pass along information. From the e-mail, click on the button for share options. It will automatically forward the Web link to that media and allow you to include additional information
Contact Patti Flesher

Public Hearings Scheduled on EPA-Proposed Changes to NESHAP

EPA has scheduled public hearings next week on the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed changes to the portland cement National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP). Here’s the schedule:

> June 16, 2009, Los Angeles, Calif.
> June 17, 2009, Dallas, Texas
> June 18, 2009, Washington, D.C.

Announced April 22 and published in the Federal Register on May 6, the proposed rule addresses emissions of mercury, total hydrocarbons, particulate matter, hydrochloric acid, and sulfur dioxide. EPA will take public comments on the proposal for 60 days after publication.

In response to the ruling, PCA issued a media statement addressing the industry’s concerns, specifically that the standards are unachievable and rely on technology applications and effectiveness assumptions not experienced at cement plants. PCA further stated that “these modifications not only jeopardize the viability of the U.S. cement industry, but also the jobs and communities reliant on cement manufacturing.”

PCA staff, member companies, and allies are planning to testify at the hearings.
Contact Andy O’Hare

Latest Apparent Use Reports Available

The most recent reports on the apparent use of portland cement and ready-mixed concrete are now available from PCA.  The reports track cement and ready-mixed concrete use from 2004 to 2008 at the state, county, and metro area level. County projections from 2009 to 2013 are also now included.

The 2008 Trend and Projections on Apparent Use of Portland Cement by County report incorporates the 5-year (2004-2008) historical data derived by the PCA apparent use county demand model along with the PCA projections of cement consumption by MSA and county (2009-2013). Based on time-series analysis of each county’s estimated consumption as a percent of its state’s total shipments, county projections are derived.

The 2008 Trend and Projections on Apparent Use of Ready-Mixed Concrete by County report presents a 5-year (2004-2008) historical perspective of estimated ready mixed concrete consumption by county and metropolitan area, as well as the PCA market research forecast of ready mixed concrete by state and county (2009-2013). Based on time-series analysis of each county’s estimated consumption as a percent of its state’s total shipments, county projections are derived.

2008 Maps of Portland Cement or Ready-Mixed Concrete use are  included at no extra cost.  These color/data driven maps depict geographical intensity of consumption.

In addition, the 2004-2008 Trend Analysis on Apparent Use of Portland Cement and Ready-Mixed Concrete, State Summary sheets are now also available (and free to PCA members).
View a complete list of Market Research reports at http://www.cement.org/market
Contact Ninab Maradkel

Nominations Closing Soon for 2009 Sustainable Leadership Awards

Nominations for the 2009 Sustainable Leadership Awards are due June 20.

Four categories will be recognized. The Leadership in Sustainability Policy Award honors public officials who advance policies that promote the concept of sustainable development by advocating for and promoting the use of concrete and cement-based products in their communities The Homes and Residential Building, Non-Residential Building and Infrastructure awards honor public officials who utilize cement or cement-based products to achieve sustainable benefits for projects in each of these categories.

This annual initiative identifies and honors government leaders who advance sustainable development in their communities through the use of concrete and cement-based products.

To be eligible for consideration, buildings and activities must have occurred between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2008.
For more information and to access the nomination form, visit www.cement.org/SustainableLeadership.

Environmental Issues Headline Technical Conference

The 51st annual IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Industry Technical Conference wrapped up last week with a number of firsts. The annual conference was held May 31 – June 4, 2009, in Palm Springs, Calif.

PCA’s Manufacturing Technical Committee, Environment and Energy Committee and Occupational Health and Safety Committee met jointly for the first time ever. Breakout groups identified critical research needs for the cement industry. The conference sponsored a first-ever concurrent Environmental Workshop. Participants at the standing-room-only event listened to a host of presentations that kicked off with a lively question and answer session with EPA personnel regarding the proposed NESHAP.

Hundreds of conference attendees toured TXI’s Oro Grande facility and were witness to an impressive quarry blast. Bruce Shafer, CalPortland Cement, received the first place prize for his paper, “Electrical Wind Generation for Cement Manufacturing, A Case Study: CalPortland Mojave Plant’s 24 MW Wind Project.”

Engberg Resigns from PCA Board

Robert Engberg has stepped down from the PCA Board of Directors after serving on the Board for 32 years.

His resignation comes with his retirement from Capitol Aggregates, the construction materials unit of H.B, Zachry Company, where he served as vice chairman. Engberg joined the company in 1961.

Engberg was elected to the PCA Board in 1977 and was Chairman of the Board from 1990-1992. He also served on the executive, government affairs, finance, membership development, and nominating committees.