High-Strength Rebar Powers Advances in High-Seismic High-Rise

The 31-story Escala condominium in Seattle, Wash., marks a new milestone in concrete skyscraper construction.

The use of high-strength (100 ksi) rebar significantly reduces rebar congestion in the columns, streamlining concrete placement and improving construction practices. Conventional rebar strength is 60 to 75 ksi.

By using the higher strength reinforcing steel, structural engineer Cary Kopczynski & Company was able to reduce the number and diameter of vertical rebars and ties in the typically grossly congested columns, which are detailed such to resist seismic forces.  Constructibility vastly improves with fewer bars, allowing smaller hoisting equipment, normal concrete vibrator usage, less fitting problems during rebar placement, as well as easier concrete placement.

The Seattle project is the first U.S. application of high-strength rebar, which was manufactured by MMFX, Irvine, Calif.

The $140 million building is designed by Mulvanny G2 Architecture of Bellevue; contractor is J.E. Dunn. The Seattle Building Department approved the use of high-strength reinforcing steel strength ahead of the pending ACI 318 Building Code change that would allow its use in concrete frame construction.
Contact Attila Beres

Infrastructure Outreach Web Site Launched

PCA has launched a new Web site—InfrastructureNow.org—to provide an online toolkit of resources and communications materials to help the cement and concrete industries promote infrastructure investment at the local, state, and federal levels.

The site takes a directory or portal approach to this vast subject, offering summaries and links to both governmental and nongovernmental organizations with statistics and information on infrastructure condition and funding needs. Also included is information on concrete markets and applications for each infrastructure sector addressed.

Transportation sectors include airports, bridges, highways, and rail/transit. Water-related sectors include dams and levees, ports and waterways, water supply and distribution, and waste and sewer systems.
Visit InfrastructureNow.org

August PPI: Steel Prices Down
for Second Straight Month

Steel prices fell 2.7% from July to August, the second month of sharp decline, according to the August Producer Price Index (PPI).

Asphalt prices logged only a slight increase (0.1%), and concrete was unchanged. Lumber decreased 1.6% from the previous month.

Steel prices have decreased by 0.6% within the last year.  Asphalt prices have grown by 3.6% and concrete prices have grown by 3.5%.  During the last year lumber prices have declined by 2.9%.

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

PCA's Education Foundation awarded eight graduate students with educational fellowships at a luncheon ceremony at PCA's fall committee meetings held earlier this month in Chicago.

The 2007 recipients are (listed by university, student, professor, research title):

• The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Nicholas DeBlasis, Professor John L. Daniels, Optimization of Soil Cement Mixtures for Cold Weather Construction
• Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, G. Ben Reese, Professor W. Spencer Guthrie, Use of the Heavy Clegg Impact Soil Tester to Assess Rutting of Cement-Treated Base Material under Early Trafficking
• Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Jun Chen, Professor Kimberly Kurtis, Ultra-Accelerated Assessment of Alkali-Reactivity of Aggregate
• Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., Aleksandra Radlinksa, Professor Jason Weiss,  Using Limestone Fillers to Reduce Cracking Potential and Improve Shrinkage Performance of Low w/c Mixtures
• University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Jaehong Kim, Professors James M. LaFave, Development of Plastic Rotation Capacity Prediction Models for Intermediate Reinforced Concrete (RC) Frames Based on Beam-Column Connections Subjected to Seismic Lateral Loading
• University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Ind., Adam Knaack, Professor Yahya Kurama, Properties of Reinforced Concrete for Use in Fire-Design of Concrete Structures
• University of Louisville, Kentucky, Giri Venkiteela, Professor Zhihui Sun, Measuring and Modeling the Setting Behavior of Cement Pastes
• University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Lindsay Lashley, Professor R. Douglas Hooton, Prediction of Cementitious Materials-Chemical Admixture Compatibility and Performance

The PCA Education Foundation Research Fellowship identifies and rewards outstanding masters and doctoral students in the fields of engineering and physical sciences who are studying areas that advance the science and technology of cement and concrete. PCA’s Education Foundation presents the students with $20,000 each for university and study costs.

Supplement Highlights Concrete’s Role in Sustainable Design and Construction

The importance of cement and concrete in sustainable design is highlighted in the September issue of Environmental Design & Construction. The special section, “Concrete: Exploring the Environmental Attributes of Concrete" was produced by PCA and bound into the magazine. It features articles on how cement and concrete contribute to a green building as well as pervious pavements, decorative floors and the industry’s achievements in sustainable manufacturing.

Environmental Design & Construction is published monthly with a circulation of 18,000 people, including members of the U.S. Green Building Council, who receive it as part of membership.
View the section on-line
Contact Patti Flesher

CEMEX Announces Plans to Build New Cement Plant

CEMEX, Inc. announced last week that it intends to begin the permitting process for the construction of a 1.9-million-ton cement manufacturing facility near Seligman, Ariz.

CEMEX will invest approximately $400 million over five years in the Seligman Crossing Plant, which is expected to begin operations by 2012. The state-of-the-art facility will manufacture cement to serve the growing needs of Arizona, including the Phoenix metropolitan area.

"CEMEX is committed to balancing the demand for development in the region with environmental sustainability to ensure the utmost success for Arizona's future," said Gilberto Perez, President of CEMEX USA. "By utilizing efficient energy sources, limited amounts of water, and state-of-the-art manufacturing and environmental technologies, the Seligman Crossing project will provide much needed building materials to the state of Arizona efficiently and cost-effectively, while also creating jobs and infusing payroll and tax dollars into the region."
More at www.cemexusa.com

Holcim Named Leader in Sustainability

For the third consecutive year, the Dow Jones Sustainability Index has named Holcim a "Leader of the Industry" in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Holcim was acknowledged as the company with the best sustainability performance in the building materials industry.

The recognition shows that Holcim meets the high expectations placed on global corporations while further strengthening its commitment towards sustainable development. Holcim's recycling and energy-saving strategies, its dialogue with stakeholders as well as its efforts in occupational health and safety and human capital development received top scores.

Holcim has been included in both the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and the Dow Jones STOXX Sustainability Index for five years.

Detailed assessment of Holcim

Niehoff Heads Residential Group

PCA named Jim Niehoff as director, residential promotion. Niehoff, who previously served as the program manager for residential promotion, has raised awareness of residential applications of cement-based systems for the past decade.

In his new role, he will oversee all PCA activities to expand the use of cement-based products in residential construction and assure coordination with national material allies.  In addition, Niehoff will have an active role in the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) Home Building Council. 

While at PCA, Niehoff has been the media spokesperson for the residential department and was the liaison to the NAHB and The New American Home program.  He is an active member of the Insulating Concrete Forms Association and currently serves on its Board of Directors and as chair of its Promotion Committee.

Prior to joining PCA in 1997, Niehoff was a marketing services manager at Gerber Plumbing Fixtures in Lincolnwood, Ill. Niehoff received his B.S. from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.
Contact Jim Niehoff

Mississippi Group Hosts
Decorative Concrete Workshop

The Mississippi Concrete Industries Association (MCIA) is sponsoring a Decorative Concrete Workshop on October 2-3 in Gulfport. Featuring special guest speaker Bob Harris with the Decorative Concrete Institute, the seminar will cover color, stamping, staining, thin toppings, countertops, and other decorative concrete techniques.

Participants can attend a half-day classroom session on October 2 or extend their participation with hands-on training sessions that afternoon and the next day. 

Registration is $75 for the entire course.  There is no fee for the half-day session.  MCIA will  provide 3.5 AIA LUs or PHDs for the classroom session.
Registration form (PDF)