 Which
type of building should the industry target for the promotion
of concrete?
Take the PCA Poll
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Developers See Star
Power in Hollywood Complex
On July 17, the Los Angeles City Council approved Blvd6200,
a $400-million complex of seven buildings that will house 1,000
rental apartments plus retail, parking, and public space.
 Named
for its address on Hollywood Boulevard near Vine, Blvd6200 is
the latest milestone in the revitalization of the rundown area.
Since 2001, the area has undergone a major urban transformation
stressing subway transportation and high-density development.
Blvd6200 continues that momentum with 1,014 apartment units,
40,000 square feel of live/work units, 2,900 parking places,
12,000 square feet of public plazas, and 175,000 square feet
of retail space. About 10 percent of the units will be affordable
housing.
The project will be environmentally sustainable and LEED certified,
according to a news release issued by the developer, The Clarett
Group. Designer is Van Tilburg, Banvard & Soderbergh Architects.
Construction is expected to begin early next year and
be completed within four years.
Contact
Attila Beres
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Conferees Reach Agreement
on Water Resources Bill, Add Highway Program Technical Corrections
On Friday, U.S. House and Senate conferees
announced an agreement on all major outstanding issues related
to the long-awaited Water Resources Development Act reauthorization
bill. The WRDA report will also include a package of technical
corrections to the 2005 SAFETEA-LU surface transportation law.
More
House Approves FY 2008
Transportation Funding
Last week,
the U.S. House of Representatives approved the FY 2008 Transportation-Housing
appropriations bill, which includes a $1.1-billion increase
for the federal-aid highway program.
More
House Committee Approves Overhaul of Flood, Wind Insurance
The House Financial Services
Committee approved legislation yesterday to revamp the federal
government's flood insurance program.
More
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ICFs Featured in
Eco-Structure Magazine
Insulating concrete forms (ICFs) are the
focus of Eco-Structure magazine’s July/August
Eco-Tech section. In addition to featuring several residential
and commercial ICF projects, the article highlighted the many
sustainable benefits of ICF construction including its contribution
to energy efficient structures and improved indoor air quality.
Bylined by PCA's Patti Flesher, the article also stressed ICF's
advantages for builders such as ease of construction and possible
tax incentives.
Contact
Patti Flesher
View
or Download the article as a PDF file
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West Coast Technical Conference
Scheduled for San Antonio
The IEEE West Coast Cement Industry Technical
Conference is scheduled for September 20-21, 2007, in San Antonio.
Texas. In addition to technical papers and workshops, the program
includes a plant tour of Capitol Cement.
More
information and to register
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Teacher
Outreach in North Carolina: PCA’s Jim Niehoff
recently presented at the summer meeting of the North Carolina
Dept. of Public Instruction in Greenboro, N.C. Attending high
school and vocational school trades instructors received an
overview of concrete wall systems for both residential and commercial
construction. The teachers attend the conference to gather ideas
for their fall curriculums.
Contact
Jim Niehoff
Indiana Fortifies: The next Midwest
Fortified … for Safer Living Home®
is planned for Evansville, Ind. The ICF home will be built to
withstand high winds and seismic activity. Upon completion,
the building will serve as the new office for the Southwest
Indiana Disaster Resistant Community Corporation. An August
15 groundbreaking is scheduled.
Contact
Jim Niehoff
More
on the Fortified program
Concrete Know-How Comes to Kansas:
PCA exhibited at the Rebuilding Greensburg Resource Fair, July
19-2, in Haviland, Kan. The fair provided Greensburg tornado
victims with information on how to rebuild their communities
as one of the most sustainable in America. Residents had the
opportunity to learn first hand from national energy experts,
government agencies, trade associations and non-profits about
environmentally friendly building techniques.
Contact
Mike Collignon
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Ancient Artifacts
Unearthed Near CEMEX Ohio Plant
The remnants of a settlement from nearly
800 years ago have been found on land owned by CEMEX near Dayton,
Ohio. An archaeology professor at The Ohio State University
recently finished a five-week archaeological dig on the land
that revealed arrowheads and pottery. The researchers believe
the area was used as a sort of dump where ancient man placed
trash or things no longer used.
CEMEX had scheduled the land for sale, but after learning of
the potential for artifacts, put the sale on hold.
The anthropology department will continue to research the land
and the artifacts found throughout the following school year
and will host another field school there next summer.
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Conference on the Design and
Use of Self-Consolidating Concrete
The Center for Advanced Cement-Based Materials
(ACBM) is organizing the Third North American Conference on
the Design and Use of Self-Consolidating Concrete (SCC 2008).
The theme for SCC 2008 is "Challenges and Barriers to Application."
This three-day conference will be held November 10-12, 2008,
in Chicago, Illinois. Organizers are seeking papers on case
studies, experiments, theory and/or computer modeling. Abstracts
are due October 1, 2007.
Contact Raissa
Ferron at ACBM
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CBC 2008 Abstracts
Deadline Extended to August 12
The Fourth Concrete Bridge Conference will
be held May 4-6, 2008, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in St. Louis,
Mo. The conference is co-sponsored by the American Concrete
Institute and is being held in conjunction with the Post-Tensioning
Institute's Annual Conference and Exhibition.
Short abstracts (one page maximum) are due August 12, 2007,
and can be submitted through the National Bridge Conference
Web site. The authors of the accepted abstracts will be notified
by August 31, 2007,and will be requested to prepare and submit
full papers (20 page maximum) by November 15, 2007. The papers
will be peer-reviewed and published in the conference proceedings
CD.
Contact
Shri Bhide
Submit
an abstract
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Results from
Last Week:
Free Literature Key to Student Outreach
What's the best way to reach architecture
and engineering students with concrete information?
>Design competitions 27 (15.61%)
>Free literature and resources 118 (68.21%)
>Outreach to professors 22 (12.72%)
>Research fellowships 6 (3.47%)
Notable comments:
"Face-to-face contact."
"Free literature will enhance technical knowledge."
"Reaching students is essential. The survey options identified
are tools that can be deployed in this undertaking. Challenging
their minds to design sustainable solutions with concrete is
the mission. Involvement of experienced industry professionals
in mentoring newcomers and energizing these young designers
will grow the concrete market into the future."
"We also need outreach to high schools."
"Libraries are rarely up to date with current industry
literature, and industry literature is typically too expensive
for student purchase. When the school (dept) makes the purchase,
it too often disappears. Free literature and resources is the
only reliable access for such important information."
"Using the professors will reach more students."
"Students like to meet professionals. One good way to raise
their interest is by organizing conferences by professionals
inside their schools or site visits."
"Faculty opens the door to the students. The teachers are
the primary audience, then the students."
Take
the current PCA Poll.
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Life
Cycle Inventory of Portland Cement Concrete: A
life cycle inventory (LCI) is a compilation of the energy and
material inputs and the emissions to air, land, and water associated
with the manufacture of a product, operation of a process, or
provision of a service. This report is the second update of
environmental life cycle inventory of portland cement concrete,
originally published in 2000 and updated in 2002. Similar to
the original, this report presents the results of the LCI of
three concrete products: ready mixed concrete, concrete masonry,
and precast concrete (SN3011; no charge; PDF only).
More
information
Proceedings Of The 29th International Conference
on Cement Microscopy, May 21–24, 2007, Quebec City, Quebec,
Canada: The International Cement Microscopy Association’s
annual conferences offer an excellent variety of high-level
papers on cement- and concrete-related issues, providing both
researcher and practitioner with a valuable source of technical
information. Authors include international experts from universities,
research institutes, and other organizations. The 2007 Conference
covered topics including thaumasite, scaling, the Egyptian Pyramids,
sulfate attack, grinding aids, alternative fuels, and white
cement (CD074; $25.00, no discounts).
More
information
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For more information
or to register, contact Julie
Lisiecki.
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Pulverized
Fuel Guidelines for the Cement Industry
September 18, 2007
Bethlehem, Pa.
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Aggregates
and Chemical Admixtures for Use in Concrete
October 1-2, 2007
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Kiln
Process
October 1-4, 2007
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Mill
Grinding
October 22-24, 2007
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Concrete:
Principles & Practices
October 22-25, 2007 |
Troubleshooting:
Solutions to Concrete Field Problems
November 5-7, 2007 |
Cement
Manufacturing for Process Engineers
November 5-8, 2007
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PCA
Fall Committee Meetings
September 10-12, 2007
Chicago, Ill.
More
information |
Bridge Professors'
Seminar
August 2-3, 2007
Skokie, Ill.
More
information |
Practical
Application of PCA Economic Forecast & Market Assessments
August 7-8, 2007
Skokie, Ill.
More
information |
IEEE West Coast Industry Technical Conference
September 20-21, 2007
Sheraton Gunter Hotel
San Antonio, Texas
More
information
|
3rd Annual Joint Western
Regional Mine Safety and Health Conference
October 22-25, 2007
Las Vegas
More
Information
|
2nd Annual Southeastern
U.S. Mine Safety and Health Conference
November 13-13, 2007
Pensacola Beach, Fla.
More
Information |
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Executive Report is distributed free of charge to members
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the cement, concrete, and construction industries.
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Skokie, Illinois 60077
847.966.6200 info@cement.org
500 New Jersey Ave. N.W.
7th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20001
202.408.9494 fax 202.408.0877 |
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©2007 Portland Cement Association
All rights reserved
The Portland Cement Association conducts market development,
research, education, and government affairs work on behalf
of
its members—cement companies in the United States and
Canada.
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