Incoming Freshmen Will be Cool at School

At Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas, a new dorm project will be helping more than 400 first-year students sleep easier this year. The Plaza Verde facility includes four residential structures, each with three stories, along with a two-story commons/recreation building that provides meeting and group study space for the students.

Plaza Verde has been designed to be a green building and is seeking Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification. The structure was created with sustainable materials, is designed for energy efficiency, and has provisions for gray water and rainwater reclamation.

In their quest for LEED Gold, school officials and developers chose very efficient refrigeration systems—heat pumps that operate with 30 percent less energy than air-cooled units. These work well because the tight, highly insulated concrete building envelope is good at maintaining interior temperatures. The combination of high efficiency air treatment with ICF construction is expected to provide significant energy (and cost) savings, important in a climate where air conditioning is used for nine months per year. Performance of the building envelope is claimed to be about R-38, including high efficiency windows and a roof membrane (over structural steel) also with an R-38 rating.
Contact Jamie Farny

Legislative, Regulatory Issues Focus of Fall Board Meeting

Meeting in Washington, D.C. last week, PCA Board members acted on 2012 programs and budgets and were briefed on pending legislative and regulatory issues of concern to the industry.

Several members of Congress were on hand to address the Board on the current political climate in Washington, prospects for infrastructure funding and passage of the highway bill, and other key legislative and regulatory initiatives.

Rep. John “Judge” Carter (R-TX) briefed the group on legislative efforts on  the challenges posed by recent EPA rules such as NESHAP, which will result in plant closings and job losses in the cement industry. Carter cosponsored the Cement Sector Regulatory Relief Act of 2011 and introduced several other measures to counter regulatory overreach.
Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO) and John Sullivan (R-OK) spoke on these topics and others at a Town Hall Meeting at Tuesday’s Board of Directors session. Both Members of Congress have been key supporters of the cement industry, providing valuable support to member company facilities and cosponsoring the Cement Sector Regulatory Relief Act.

In addition, Michael Davis, BIPAC, addressed the impact of Congressional redistricting on the 2012 elections. Jim Braselton, Lafarge North America, presented on overview of recent research and plans for future programs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Concrete Sustainability Hub.

PCA’s Ed Sullivan presented his updated forecast for construction, concrete, and cement. (See below.) PCA President/CEO Brian McCarthy presented an overview of the Association’s strategic plan for 2012-2014.

The next meeting of the Board of Directors is scheduled for April 16-18, 2012, in Chicago, Ill.

Board Elects Slate of Directors

In other actions, the PCA Board of Directors elected officers and a new slate of Directors for the coming year at its Annual Meeting on November 15. Aris Papadopoulos (Titan America), was re-elected to serve as chairman of the Board and Sylvain Garnaud (Lafarge North America) as vice chairman of the Board.

Seven new directors were elected to serve on the Board:

> Francesco Carantani, Essroc
> Tom Edwards, CalPortland
> Hamid Farzam, CEMEX
> Hardy Johnson, Titan America
> Tim Kuebler, Titan America
> Mike Philipps, CEMEX
> Bob Sullivan, CEMEX

In addition, Fred Cohrs was elected as an honorary committee member in honor of his long and outstanding service to the industry and PCA. Prior to Fred’s retirement in December 2001, he held the position of President-Florida Rock Cement Group and Vice President-Florida Rock Industries.
Contact Jan Farnsworth

Forecast Puts Robust Cement Consumption Off Until 2014

Even with an economic recovery, construction levels will remain at new floor levels and lead to relatively flat cement consumption until 2014, according to the most recent economic forecast from PCA.

PCA revised its cement consumption forecast to increases of 1.1 percent in 2011, 0.5 percent in 2012, and 7.4 percent in 2013—roughly half of the previous forecast. According to the report, large structural issues exist in each construction sector that will slow recovery.

Recovery for the construction industry is tied to general economic growth and job creation. Job creation will reduce, and eventually eliminate, the adverse impacts of foreclosures, tight lending standards, commercial occupancy, and leasing rates as well as the severity of state fiscal conditions. However, because the impediments to a construction recovery are so large, even if an acceleration in economic growth and job creation occurs on a sustained basis, the benefits will not materialize quickly.

According to the report, nonresidential construction will also remain low until 2013, and lack of assured federal funding will drag down the public sector until 2014.
Contact Ed Sullivan

Canadian Cement Consumption to Decline

According to a recent report by PCA Market Intelligence, the typical economic growth supporters of employment and energy sector investment have not translated into Canadian cement demand this year, and a 0.8 percent decline in consumption is forecast for 2011, followed by a moderate rebound of a 1.2 percent in 2012.

Residential construction, stimulus funded infrastructure spending, and private sector energy investment contributed to cement volumes just under 9 million metric tons last year. However, in 2011, two of these three contributors—residential and infrastructure—have not played a repeat role.  Private sector investment does not appear to be able to carry the remaining load.  In addition, federal and provincial budget balancing will drag on public sector cement demand next year.

Cement demand this year will be weakest in the Atlantic provinces, where a 6.5 percent decline is anticipated, followed by the Prairies with a 1.2 percent decline.  Ontario is the only region expected to have a gain—a modest 0.4 percent.  Follow-up demand in 2012 is likely to return to positive growth for the western provinces with flat markets continuing in the east.
Contact David Czechowski

Free Registration to World of Concrete

World of Concrete 2012 will be held in Las Vegas on January 23-27, 2012.

The largest, most comprehensive commercial concrete and masonry event for the concrete industry features more than 1,500 exhibitors and more than 100 seminars and conference sessions.

As a cosponsor, PCA offers free admission and a discount on seminars to anyone who registers through our Web site.

Additionally, PCA receives a rebate from Hanley-Wood based on the number of pre-registered attendees who come to the show. Please encourage coworkers and customers to register through PCA.
For free registration and discounts on seminar fees, click here