The 2008 New American
(Concrete) Home Emerges in Orlando
In the exclusive Lake Nona golf course community adjacent to the eastern boundary of Orlando International Airport, the 2008 New American Home is taking shape.   The home, which serves as the official Show Home of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) during the International Builders' Show, is the fifth consecutive concrete home.

The exterior walls of the home make extensive use of autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) blocks provided by Aercon Industries.  AAC consists of lightweight, air-entrained concrete blocks or panels that can be cut to fit any dimension.  The blocks provide superior energy efficiency, resistance to fires, termites, and mold, and enhanced sound attenuation.   In addition to AAC, the New American Home has several hundred yards of poured concrete for additional structural support.  Other concrete products used in the home will include a portland-cement based stucco finish and concrete roof tiles from Monier LifeTile.

Builder Charles Robertson of Robertson Homes broke ground in February and expects the 6,725 square-foot-home to be completed in late October 2007 to allow for magazine photo shoots prior to the February 2008 International Builders' Show.   The home will be on display during the Show, which runs February 13-16 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.   The home is also expected to be available for public tours for several weeks following the Show. 
Contact Jim Niehoff

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Readers a Chance to Sound Off
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TCA Announces International Design Competition
The Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA) has announced an international design competition—Storm Housing 2007. Students in the field of architecture, currently in graduate or undergraduate programs, are 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.  PCA is a co-sponsor of this event.

Entrants are encouraged to present prominent, architecturally significant design solutions for housing units that can be placed in newly rebuilt communities that provide measurable improvements to long-term durability.

TCA will award a cash prize package to designs earning first, second, and third places.

The registration deadline for entries is August 31, 2007. TCI will provide entrants with an electronic information packet on September 3 with submissions due September 14. TCA will announce the winners at the TCA Annual Convention on the University of Maryland campus in College Park, Md. on October 5, 2007.
Visit www.tilt-up.org/students or call 319.895.6911

The next RCC Pavements Workshop is scheduled for November 6 in Atlanta.
More information at www.secement.org

Indonesian Women Fashion
Cement Bags into Household Income
A group of Indonesian women are turning cement bags into fashionable handbags and mats to help eke out a living.  According to a Reuters report, twice a week, 15 women scour the construction sites in their slum for the strong paper sacks.

In a small rented house that serves as a workshop, the women produce various products from the bags, like placemats, cell phone holders and other items. They do not coat or paint the cement bags, giving the finished product an unusual look.

The cement-bag items are sold at local handicraft exhibitions or bazaars and prices range from 15,000 rupiah to 50,000 rupiah (about $2-$6). Thirty percent of profits are put aside as petty cash for the group and the other 70 percent is shared by members. Poverty is widespread in Indonesia, where, according to the World Bank, half the 220 million population lives on less than $2 a day.

Corrosion of Reinforcing Bars in Concrete:  Corrosion of embedded steel is a major factor adversely influencing the durability of reinforced concrete structures. The primary focus of this report is chloride-induced corrosion of steel reinforcement: the factors affecting it and its influence on durability.  This review describes the corrosion process, the lack of a single chloride threshold concentration for initiation of corrosion, and the relative contributions of micro-cell and macro-cell corrosion in sound concretes.  Carbonation-induced corrosion is also briefly explained (SN3013; no charge; PDF only).
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Fundamentals of Concrete:  Part of a series of training programs on cement and concrete technology, this CD introduces the fundamentals of concrete. Topics include materials used in concrete mixtures, the essentials of quality concrete, and the desired fresh and hardened properties of concrete. Fully narrated, with a quiz included at the end, the course is designed for cement manufacturers, ready-mix concrete producers, concrete contractors, consultants, architects, specifiers, QA/QC personnel, or inspection staff, and other design professionals (CD062; $35.00, less discount).
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Albert Litvin, 1917-2007:  Bibliography:  An annotated list of the writings of Albert J. Litvin, engineer with Construction Technology Laboratories, Inc., from 1961-1986. Litvin supervised and conducted important research in shotcrete placement, structural lightweight concrete, architectural concrete methods, heat transfer development, and masonry construction. The list includes conference papers, research reports, and journal articles from 1945-2004 (LB31; no charge; PDF only).
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PCA Library New Acquisitions:   A bimonthly list of new publications added to the PCA Library. The list includes trade books, reports, proceedings, journals, PCA research reports, and other material. Items are available for loan at no charge to member companies and associate members, or to others through interlibrary loan. To view this list, go to: www.cement.org/library/newacq.pdf.  Fuller bibliographic descriptions of the items can be found in the Library's online Web Catalog, at www.cement.org/library.

Creative Concrete Ornaments for the Garden:  Sherri Warner Hunter's latest book presents a selection of 30 designs for concrete garden objects such as a trough, sand-cast bowl, wall relief, and even a table. Illustrated with color photographs throughout, this publication provides the novice with the necessary instructions for making the items, progressing from the simplest projects to more sophisticated ones that will challenge the more experienced concrete craftsman (LT278; $24.95, no discount).
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