Concrete Meets Special Needs of Healthcare Facilities

The Center for Advanced Clinical Studies creates a center of excellence for the cancer and neuroscience programs at The Methodist Hospitals Southlake Campus in Merrillville, Indiana. This 3-story hospital plus basement addition contains 96,000 square feet of space for both inpatient and outpatient departments.

The project features two Linear Accelerator Vaults and a Gamma Knife Vault. These rooms incorporate an average of 4-foot-thick cast-in-place reinforced concrete walls and ceilings for heavy radiation shielding. A concrete floor system was selected to allow matching floor elevations with the original building, which also used a concrete flat slab. More.

Concrete is frequently employed in healthcare construction because of the wide array of shallow floor framing systems available that can be incorporated to maximize the ceiling cavity while maintaining stringent vibration control and fire rating criteria.
For more examples of concrete in healthcare, click here.

WANTED: Notable Concrete Buildings

The Portland Cement Association invites submission of case studies on noteworthy concrete buildings that have been constructed within the last two years, or that are in the process of being constructed.

The most interesting and innovative buildings will be showcased in future editions of this electronic publication and on the PCA Web site. Contact Ed Alsamsam.

Concrete Thinking for a Sustainable World

It would be difficult not to notice the movement for environmentally preferred products sweeping the nation. Hybrid cars, citrus oil based cleaners, “ozone friendly” spray propellants, Energy Star ratings on our televisions and stereos. We can see evidence of this in almost every industry, and the construction industry is no exception. Labeled “sustainable development” or “green building,” it is a rapidly growing force in the marketplace. More.

High Demand, Shipping Shortfall, Tighten Cement Supplies

A shortfall of shipping to carry cement imports coupled with a surge in construction activity has resulted in cement shortages in some regions of the United States.

The booming Chinese economy has tied up bulk shipping, which has disrupted the flow of imported cement that traditionally fills the gap between domestic production and consumption. Meanwhile, a recovering U.S. economy is creating record demand for cement on the heels of a strong winter construction season that drew down inventories.
More.

Concrete Institute Celebrates a Century of Innovation

Throughout 2004, the American Concrete Institute (ACI) will be celebrating its 100th anniversary with a series of special events, such as dinners, conferences, and book releases. An October mixer "Concrete in the Future, " will be held in San Francisco, California.

More information about ACI and its anniversary activities can be found at ACI's Web site. www.concrete.org.

Concrete and Masonry Industries Respond to U.S. Fire Storms

Balanced Design for Multi-Family Construction Proposed During Building Safety Week

A string of recent fires have destroyed multi-family housing construction projects across the U.S. and raised serious questions about the safety of buildings. In conjunction with Building Safety Week, the Portland Cement Association (PCA), fire safety groups, and national industry associations have proposed improved building codes to protect multi-family dwellings from conflagrations. This will also help protect surrounding communities from fire storms. More

Concrete Floor Systems Made Easy

Everything you need to know to choose an economical concrete floor systems can be found in these two popular publications. Preliminary estimates of material quantities (concrete, reinforcing steel, and formwork) for various span and loading conditions help with planning. The effects of different concrete strengths, column dimensions, and floor aspect ratios on material quantities are discussed to facilitate decision making. Charts containing relative cost indices help in making comparisons.

Concrete Floor Systems—Guide to Estimating and Economizing, 2nd Edition
The latest information on the four most popular reinforced floor systems: flat plate, flat slab, one-way joist, and two-way joist.
SP041—$20

Long-Span Concrete Floor Systems
Two popular long-span concrete floor systems are covered in this 100-page publication: banded-beam and wide-module joist.
SP339—$30

Buy Both Floor Books and Get 1/2 Off the Price.
XC015—$25

Offer expires July 31, 2004.