Strong and Sustainable, Concrete
‘Most Wanted’ for FBI Complex

For a new headquarters building for the Houston office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a reinforced concrete frame is both strong enough to meet blast resistance requirements and green enough to achieve LEED certification.

The 290,000-square-foot field office complex includes an eight-story tower built of reinforced concrete. A lightweight metal frame will be hung off of the concrete walls to carry a “second skin” for the building facade. The almost opaque glass, placed five feet away from the actual thermal wall, will shade the structure substantially from the direct heat gain of the hot Texas sun.

Designed by Leo A. Daly/LAN+PageSoutherlandPage, a joint venture, the building has been designed to achieve a LEED™ Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council and is being built as part of the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Design Excellence program.

The inherent mass and stiffness characteristics of reinforced concrete offer distinct advantages over other building materials to meet the blast loading and progressive collapse requirements of the GSA.
Contact Amy Trygestad

September PPI: Steel Prices Fall for Third Straight Month

Steel prices fell 1.7%  for a third consecutive monthly decline, according to the September Producer Price Index (PPI).

Asphalt prices decreased slightly (0.2%) from the previous month, while concrete increased 0.3%. Lumber declined 0.9%.

Steel prices have have dropped 3.7% within the last year.  Asphalt is up 1.6% and concrete prices increased 3.6%.  During the last year lumber prices have declined by 3.6%.

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 Spins Off Software Division
Effective October 1, 2007, PCAStructurePoint, the software development arm of PCA’s Engineered Structures Department, became a private, for-profit company independent from PCA.

Called StructurePoint LLC, the new entity will be managed and operated by Dr. Ed Alsamsam, who has resigned his position as PCA’s director of buildings and special structures to lead the new enterprise. Also resigning from PCA to accept positions with StructurePoint are Daniel Antoniak, manager, technical services, and Steven Griffin, customer service representative.

PCA and StructurePoint have entered into a formal agreement defining the terms of an 18-month transition period.  During this period PCA will help StructurePoint establish itself as a successful and independent operation. StructurePoint will utilize the transition period to establish its own corporate identity.  At the conclusion of the transition period, PCA and StructurePoint will discontinue their formal affiliation.
Contact George Barney

World Cement Consumption Growth
Expected to Continue

Led by an expected 10% growth in China, worldwide portland cement consumption will increase 5.5% this year followed by a rise of 6.9% in 2008—an average of nearly 160 million metric tons annually—according to a Flash Report issued by PCA last week.

The international report cites robust growth conditions in emerging and transitional economies, such as those in South America, Eastern Europe, and Asia.  China continues to play a critical role in consumption trends, accounting for more than 45% of the world’s cement consumption.

The report predicts the world economy will increase 3.11 % in 2007, with a 2.94 % increase expected in 2008.
Contact Ed Sullivan

TCA/PCA Announces Winner of International Design Competition

The Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA) recently announced the winners of “TCA/PCA Storm Housing 2007,” an international design competition. PCA co-sponsored the contest.

Undergraduate and graduate architecture students were invited to present conceptual designs for a storm-resistant housing complex located along the Gulf Coast using site-cast concrete tilt-up panels for their shell components. 

Entrants were challenged to creatively solve the problem of replacing large volumes of single-family housing for lower income levels in Biloxi, Miss., with structures that present prominent, architecturally significant design solutions and provide measurable improvements to long-term durability.

The first place winner was Jonathan McKearin, a graduate student in architecture at the University of Maryland. His design strategy, “Putting the Pieces Together,” utilized individual townhomes with overlapping volumes of bold color.  Each volume is constructed with interlocking concrete panels.

Ritsaart Marcelis and Artur Marques Kalil, also of the University of Maryland, earned second and third place, respectively. In addition to the top three projects, nine additional projects received honorable mention distinctions.

TCA presented the awards to the 12 winners at its Annual Convention on the University of Maryland campus in College Park, Md., on Oct. 5. All the entries were on display at the Convention.

Lehigh to Modernize Mitchell, Indiana, Plant

Lehigh Cement Company last week announced plans to expand and upgrade its cement manufacturing plant in Mitchell, Ind.  The reported $400 million state-of-the-art facility will replace three wet kilns with a single dry kiln.

The new plant, which will be built north of the current facility, will triple cement output when completed in 2012. The new operation will cut energy costs by one-third and allow the company to burn alternative materials, such as tires, to cut down the amount of coal it uses to heat the kilns.

Construction is expected to start in about two years, after environmental and construction permits are approved.  Work crews could total more than 1,000 people at various times during the two-year construction phase.

Lehigh Cement in Mitchell serves customers in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, and the entire Midwest.

Careers in Construction Week
Kicks Off October 15

Careers in Construction Week is being celebrated October 15-19, 2007. The nationwide image campaign is designed to increase public awareness of the hard work and contributions of our nation's 7.2 million craft professionals.

President Bush has recognized "this week is a time to celebrate the contributions of these professionals."  Additionally, more than 35 governors have proclaimed October 15-19 as Careers in Construction Week.

Schedule events include guest speakers, field trips, career fairs, informative videos about construction, demonstrations,  hands-on activities, and exhibits.
For information, please visit http://careers.nccer.org/CiCLocalEvents.html

Results from last week:
SCMs Named Top Innovation

In the 100 years since the Chicago Cubs last won the World Series, what are the greatest innovations in concrete?

>Air-entrained concrete: 21.98%
>High-strength concrete: 21.98%
>Use of byproducts (supplementary cementing materials): 38.46%
>Self-consolidating concrete: 17.58%

Notable comments:

"No question that air-entrained concrete is the greatest innovation, because of its broad impact on so many different markets."

"Without air entrained concrete we'd have never gotten to the other three."

"Super Plasticizer, Baby!"

"SCM are integral parts of high-strength and SCC concrete along with several other beneficial factors notwithstanding improved durability!"

"Although the Romans were recorded to have used pozzolans, the breadth and depth of SCM usage in the last 100 years is a testament to man's innovation."

"The greatest innovation in concrete is the self-consolidating concrete (SCC). Some of the advantages of using SCC are:
-can be placed at a faster rate with no mechanical vibration ,resulting in saving in placement costs .
-Ease of filling restricted sections.
-Improved pumpability.
-Shorter construction periods
-Elimination of vibrator noise."