Luxury Condos Rise on Concrete Benefits

Hayden Ferry Lakeside will be the first luxury mid-rise condominium complex in Tempe, Ariz. Located on the Salt River, the project will ultimately encompass four or more mid-rise towers with underground parking.

The buildings will vary in height from eight to fourteen stories and include six luxury units on a typical 90’x 125’ floor plate. With spans of 27 feet, the 7-inch-thick concrete floor slabs will be post-tensioned with one-half inch diameter unbonded monostrand. Typical concrete columns are 18 x 18 inches in the 8-story buildings, and 18 x 24 inches in the 14-story buildings. The first building is expected to be complete in 2006 at a construction cost of approximately thirty million dollars. More.

Favored in residential construction for the lowest floor-to-floor heights, cast-in-place concrete buildings are often built on a two-day cycle per floor resulting in earlier occupancy with a lower project cost. Known for excellent resistance to vibrations and fire, concrete walls and slabs also reduce sound transmission by 30% to 40% over membrane walls and provide excellent acoustic separation. To read more case studies, click here.

Insulating concrete forms (ICFs) have been gaining steam in the residential market for the last decade: concrete homes currently account for about 16 percent of single family construction. Lately, more architects and builders are also exploring ICFs as an option for light commercial construction, capitalizing on the system’s energy efficiency, durability and ease of construction. Commercial structures built with ICFs are poised to reap the environmental benefits of the building system on a grand scale, creating longer-lasting, more comfortable businesses that will provide healthy environments for employees. More.

Educational Seminars Earn PDHs

Click on seminar title for dates, locations, and details.

Emerging Trends in Structural Concrete—Learn about recent advances in creating sustainable, durable, and cost-effective structures including self consolidating concrete, hybrid frames, economical forming, and construction techniques.

PCA/ACI Simplified Design of Reinforced Concrete Buildings—Increase your design efficiency and reduce the time it takes to design small to moderate size buildings in accordance with ACI 318-02, IBC 2003, and ASCE 7-02.

Fundamentals of Post-Tensioning - Design, Analysis, & Construction—Gain a basic
understanding of post-tensioning design and construction concepts as applied to elevated structures.

January PPI: Last Year's Trends Continue

According to January's Producer Price Index, concrete products prices rose 2.6% in January 2005, a larger monthly increase than any month in 2004. Steel prices rose 1.8%, lumber, 1.7%, and asphalt rose 1.4% in January.

When compared to January of 2004, steel prices are 46.5% higher and concrete products have increased 9.3%. Lumber prices are 7.4% higher and asphalt is 6.1% higher than a year ago.

The Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes the data.

Concrete Conventions Spring into NYC in April

ACI Spring Convention—Concrete Soars, Spans & Supports New York and New Jersey
April 17-21, 2005, Hilton New York

2005 SEI Structures Congress & Exposition—Metropolis & Beyond
April 20-24, 2005, Hilton New York

Work quickly. Work simply. Work accurately.

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Purchase pcaMats by May 15, 2005 and save $300. (Promotion Code Mats300)

For more on pcaStructurePoint concrete software solutions, click here.