Structural Concrete Forms Cantilevers at Ravine House

The Ravine House in Fox Point, Wisc. was conceived by the architectural firm La Dallman. This unique 4,500 square foot residence wrapped with expansive windows faces a 50-foot deep wooded ravine to the south and southeast. The structure is located on a mildly sloping site at the top of the bluff and consists of two floors, a partial basement, and an exterior deck on the south elevation. Floor and roof cantilevers exist in several strategic corners of the house providing unrestricted views towards the ravine. A structural system utilizing cast-in-place post-tensioned reinforced concrete was selected to bring the architect’s vision to life.

Several key challenges were encountered and overcome during the design process utilizing a second floor post-tensioned reinforced concrete slab, a high roof cantilever, and a first floor cantilever reinforced concrete slab-on-grade. Read more about Ravine House.

Photo courtesy of Kevin Miyazaki

Ardea Building in Portland Shines with Concrete

The Ardea building on the South Waterfront in Portland, Ore., illustrates how a combination of precast and cast-in-place concrete can drastically reduce construction time and cost, while giving the owner an attractive, low-maintenance, and durable structure.

The cast-in-place concrete structure consisted of a 386,000 square foot, 31-story tower and an adjacent 55,000 square foot, six-story sidecar building all constructed atop a three-story below grade, cast-in-place parking garage. The architectural precast skin consisted of more than 1,500 pieces of concrete, all cast off-site. More on Ardea building.

Georgia Motel Available for Check-in Quickly with ICFs

The versatility, speed, and strength of an insulating concrete form (ICF) system were key to building a110-unit, four-story Comfort Suite Hotel project in Tifton, Ga.

The crew of 12 completed walls and floors in only 12 weeks without an on-site crane. Decks and interior walls were poured simultaneously, using 2-½ inch vibrators with no adverse effects on the formwork. In a single 10-hour day, the crew poured about 400 cubic yards of concrete to complete more than 1,500 lineal feet of 9-1/2 foot-tall walls and 14,000 square feet of floors. More on The Comfort Suite Hotel.

Newly Released - Seismic and Wind Design of Concrete Buildings

This publication is an essential resource to comprehend the basic considerations for the design of concrete buildings for earthquake and wind forces. It covers the seismic and wind design provisions of the 2006 IBC/ASCE 7-05. Application of the seismic and wind provisions is illustrated by designing and detailing typical structural members in buildings that are located in areas of low, moderate, and high seismic risk on different types of soil. More information and purchase.

Seismic Detailing of Concrete Buildings

This publication contains a comprehensive summary of the seismic detailing requirements contained in Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete (318-05) and Commentary (318R-05), which is adopted by reference in the 2006 International Building Code. A supplemental CD is included with reinforcement details for beams, columns, two-way slabs, walls and foundations. More information and purchase.

ACI Building Code Requirements of the 20th Century

Whether you are an engineer evaluating buildings under previous codes, forensic engineering investigator, researcher in need of a whole library of concrete design codes, or just curious about the code beginning and evolution in the twentieth century, this CD is for you.

Published by the American Concrete Institute (ACI), the CD contains all the concrete design codes and commentaries published from 1908 to 1999. More information and purchase.

Save the Date –Reinforced Concrete Design Course Coming your Way

PCA is teaming up with ACI to sponsor seminars on Reinforced Concrete Design to be presented in several cities across the U.S. during the fall of 2009. This intensive two-day course will bring participants up-to-speed with the latest design requirements of the ACI 318-08 Building Code. You will benefit from this seminar if you are designing concrete now, but feel there must be a better way; need to do some concrete design and your skills are rusty; did not take reinforced concrete in engineering school but are now faced with designing concrete structures; are preparing for the Professional Engineers’ or Structural Engineers’ exam; or simply need Professional Development Hours to maintain your professional engineer status (worth 15 PDHs)
The seminars are scheduled as follows:

More details on the ACI Web site.

DVD Provides Easy Way to Earn PDHs
Refresh your knowledge on the analysis and design of reinforced concrete and earn 13 Professional Development Hours without leaving your desk. More information and purchase.

PCA Free Resources to Earn PDHs
Study and review different topics at your pace and earn one 1 Professional Development for each. The topics covered includes, design of floor systems, torsion design, engineering mass concrete structures and much more.

• Design of Reinforced Concrete Floor Systems
• Post-Tensioning for Two-Way Flat Plate Construction
• Structural Integrity Requirements for Concrete Buildings
• Engineering Mass Concrete Structures
• Torsion Design of Structural Concrete Based on ACI
  318-05
• Strut-and-Tie Model for Structural Concrete Design
• Development and Splicing
  of Flexural Reinforcement Based on ACI 318-08

Codes and Standards

Most building construction in the U.S. is influenced by state and local building codes. These codes are intended as minimum design and construction requirements to assure life safety, property protection, general welfare of the public, and safety to firefighters and emergency responders. Recognizing an opportunity to help professionals and public alike, PCA has created a separate area on its Web site to cover codes and standards. Visit the site

The codes and standards that impact modern building construction are constantly in flux, and it is difficult at best to keep up with copious changes and how they will impact building design. For engineers and architects who are working with structural design, we have gathered some basic resources to help you get started. More on codes.

The 18th annual Professor's Buildings seminar will take place on August 3-5, 2009 followed by the 11th annual Bridges seminar on August 6-7, 2009. Both events will be held at the Portland Cement Association’s headquarter in Skokie, Ill. These seminars provide a forum in which the latest concrete industry developments are presented to university professors in civil, structural and architectural engineering. As in past years, there is no seminar registration fee.

National sponsors include: Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute, the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, the Post-Tensioning Institute and PCA. These sponsors provide speakers, teaching materials, and complimentary publications. More on the seminars.

Career Day at the Museum

Nominations Extended for 2009 Sustainable Leadership Awards

PCA is extending its call for nominations for the 2009 Sustainable Leadership Awards.
Four categories will be recognized. The Leadership in Sustainability Policy Award honors public officials who advance policies that promote the concept of sustainable development by advocating for and promoting the use of concrete and cement-based products in their communities The Homes and Residential Building, Non-Residential Building and Infrastructure awards honor public officials who utilize cement or cement-based products to achieve sustainable benefits for projects in each of these categories

More information and to access the nomination form.

New Resourse on Sustainable Construction

The Engineering Guide to LEED-New Construction: Sustainable Construction for Engineers

This guide provides an introduction to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED-NC rating system as well as specific prerequisites and credits used for certification. Several examples of sustainable construction within specific sectors such as the military are presented, indoor air quality is discussed, and the integration of storm water management into the LEED process is explained.

Expanding the Role of Structural Engineer
ASCE/SEI 2009 Congress

This year’s Congress consisted of 100 technical sessions arranged within 10 concurrent technical tracks that focused on the theme: “Don’t Mess with Structural Engineers—Expanding our Role."

The Congress was held April 30-May 2, in Austin Texas and attended by more than 900 engineers, executives, professors, contractors and engineering students. Engineers from different organizations exchanged ideas and discussed how their company has adapted to changes in today’s global economy. As a co-sponsor of the event, Dr. Mahmoud Kamara of PCA offered attendees answers to technical questions, discussions about concrete use, including sustainability, and PCA publications.

More about StructurePoint’s suite of reinforced concrete analysis and design software.

• USACE Infrastructure Systems Conference
July 20-24, Cleveland, Ohio

• The Structural Engineers' Buildings Conference & Expo
November 5-6, Chicago, Ill.

• Design-Build Conference and Expo
November 5-7, Washington, D.C.

• American Concrete Institute Fall Convention
November 8-12, New Orleans, La.

• Greenbuild International Conference and Expo
November 11-13, Phoenix, Ariz.