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 Burj
Dubai Climbing Toward Record
At 72 stories and growing a level every three
days, Burj Dubai is well on its way to claiming the title of
world's tallest building. Arabic for "Dubai Tower,"
Burj Dubai is anchoring a massive development in Dubai, United
Arab Emirates, that will also feature commercial properties
and 30,000 homes.
 Developer
Emaar Properties is tight-lipped about the actual height of
Burj Dubai because of potential competition from other projects
for the title of world's tallest building. But most publicly
available information places it at 162 stories for a total height
of 2,650 feet at the top of the spire. According to the Council
on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, Burj Dubai will unify the
title—capturing records for the tallest structure, roof
antenna, and occupied floor.
Burj Dubai has a reinforced concrete frame for the first 156
stories or 1,884 feet; the remainder is steel-framed. Construction
began in 2004 and completion is scheduled for late 2008. Cost
for the tower is estimated at US$1 billion dollars while the
price tag for the overall development is US$20 billion.
Lead architect is Adrian Smith of Skidmore Owings and Merrill.
According to Emaar Properties, the design is inspired by the
geometry of the desert flower and patterns of traditional Islamic
architecture. The contractor is Samsung Corporation; Turner
Construction International is project and construction manager.
The first 70 stories consumed 260,000 cubic yards of concrete
and nearly 42,000 tons of steel reinforcement.
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PCA, U.S. Air Force
Partner to Conduct
Blast-Resistance Research
The benefits of concrete building systems
are many and well known—energy efficiency, resistance
to fire and mold, and durability. A new research program aims
to add cost-effective blast resistance to that list.
PCA and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) have collaborated
to conduct research to identify cost-effective, blast-resistance
building systems for military construction. The research will
be conducted on four of the most widely used commercial insulated
concrete wall systems, including insulating concrete forms,
precast and tilt-up insulating concrete sandwich panels, exterior
insulating cast-in-place walls, and insulated reinforced masonry
veneer and cavity walls.
The first wall system, a precast/prestressed insulated sandwich
panel assembly, was evaluated last month at Tyndall Air Force
Base in Panama City, Fla. Additional wall system evaluations
are planned for later this year.
PCA co-funded the research with the U.S. Air Force, with wall
assemblies provided by PCA and its industry partners.
Contact John
Sullivan
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The New York Times
Takes a Solid Look at Concrete Homes
"Enlisting a Fortress to Battle the
Elements," a report by Marcelle S. Fishler appearing in
the Thursday, September 21, edition of The New York Times
House & Home section, offers a comprehensive overview
of today's concrete homebuilding systems, their impact on the
market, and their primary benefits of energy efficiency and
storm resistance.
Fishler begins her report in the context of hurricane resistance
with a profile of a family building a new home in Fort Deposit,
Ala. But in interviews with homeowners and industry sources,
the article profiles a wide range of concrete building systems
and how they answer concerns over energy prices, mold, and termites.
Read
the article at www.nytimes.com
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PCA to Participate
in New Orleans Home Show
PCA and other members of the National Association of Home Builders'
Concrete Home Building Council will participate at “Housing
Solutions Summit," New Orleans, La., September 29-30.
PCA is a sponsor of this event presented by Entergy and the
Home Building Association of Greater New Orleans. The Summit
will feature national and local experts who will provide detailed
guidance and information on the rebuilding process. PCA's Michael
H. Weber will present at the Emerging Building Systems seminar
on September 30.
Free to the public, the Summit is designed to provide information
on financing, planning construction, and energy savings to Gulf
Coast residents.
More at www.hssno.com
Contact Michael Weber
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|  August
PPI: Steel and Asphalt Prices Continue Rise
According to the August Producer
Price Index (PPI), steel and asphalt prices continue to rise,
but at a slower pace than the past few months.
Asphalt prices rose 1.3% in August and are now 37.9 % higher
than one year ago. Steel prices are up 1.2% for the month
and 23.3% year-to-date.
Concrete prices saw no gain in August and are up 10.4% for
the first eight months of 2006. Lumber prices continued to
decline, down 3.6% in August and 6.1% for the year.
Source: Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. The
information is provided by PCA to aid in the promotion of
concrete and cement-based products.
More
information
Contact
Craig Schulz
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| Call for Entries: 2006 Environment
and Energy Awards
PCA and Cement Americas magazine
are seeking entries for the 2006 Cement Industry Energy and
Environment Awards. The awards program is open to any cement
manufacturing plant in North America.
A panel of independent judges awards plants for achievements
in six categories: environmental performance, land stewardship,
outreach, innovation, energy efficiency, and overall environmental
excellence.
The deadline for entries is Wednesday, January 31, 2007. Entry
forms will also appear in several forthcoming issues of Cement
Americas magazine.
Download
an entry form
Contact Tom Carter or
Donna Wortman.
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Revised State Economic
Stats Available Online
PCA has posted an upgraded and revised version
of state economic statistics and industry information on the
Economic Research section of its Web site. For each state, visitors
have access to an economic profile, demographic information,
highway and transportation statistics, cement profile, and the
contribution of the cement and concrete industries to state
revenues and employment. The site has been expanded to include
figures from 2002 through 2006. A summary of each state's economic
profile is also available.
Check it out at www.cement.org/econ
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| Sydney Tar Ponds Subject
of Conference
PCA and the Cement Association of Canada held a conference
last week on solidification/stabilization for revitalizing
the former Sydney steel plant properties in Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Hosted by nearby Cape Breton University, September 18-20,
the three-day conference included 14 presentations plus site
tours of the Sydney Tar Ponds and SYSCO property remediation
projects. In attendance were more than 130 federal, provincial,
and municipal officials; environmental consultants; solidification/stabilization
contractors; and university professors and students.
Solidification/stabilization with cement has been selected
to treat contaminated material at the SYSCO property and is
proposed for use on the tar ponds and coke oven sites.
CAC's Colin Dickson organized the conference with the assistance
of PCA. Other sponsors included Nova Scotia Environmental
Industry Association, Sydney Tar Ponds Agency, and Cape Breton
University.
Contact Chuck
Wilk
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Concrete Weighs
In at SEAOC Convention
PCA and allies teamed up to raise the profile of the concrete
industry at last week's annual convention of The Structural
Engineers Association of California (SEAOC) held in Long Beach,
September 13-16. As one of the nation's most prestigious structural
engineering associations, SEAOC has been historically the driving
force of modern seismic design worldwide. PCA and the California-Nevada
Concrete Promotion Council organized a contiguous exhibit space
for about 16 vendors of concrete-related products to heighten
industry presence. In addition, PCA speakers Attila Beres and
S.K. Ghosh focused on recent advances in the ACI Codes and in
the ICC seismic provisions.
Contact
Attila Beres
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PCA's education and
training group will conduct the following courses at PCA's Skokie,
Ill., facility. Customized and off-site courses are also available.
For more information or to register, contact Julie
Lisiecki.
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Kiln
Process
October 2-5, 2006
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Mill
Grinding
October 23-25, 2006 |
Cement
Manufacturing for Process Engineers
November 13-16, 2006 |
| Concrete:
Principles & Practices
October 16-19, 2006 |
SCMs
& Ternary Blends
October 25-26, 2006 |
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Aggregates
& Chemical Admixtures for Use in Concrete
October 23-24, 2006
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Troubleshooting:
Solutions to Concrete Field Problems
November 13-15, 2006
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PCA
Fall Meeting
October 29-31, 2006
Sea Island, Ga.
Contact
Jan Farnsworth
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2nd
Annual Joint Western Regional Mine Safety and Health
Conference
October 23-26, 2006
Mesa, Ariz.
More
Information
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1st
Annual Southeastern U.S. Mine Safety and Health Conference
October 31-November 2
Nashville, Tenn.
More
Information |
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Free
Register Online
Las Vegas, Nevada
Exhibits: January 23-26
Seminars: January 22-26 |
National Concrete
Masonry Association Annual Convention
February 20-24, 2007
Orlando, Fla.
More
information
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Manufactured Concrete
Products Exposition
February 22-24, 2007
Orlando, Fla.
More
information |
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the cement, concrete, and construction industries.
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5420 Old Orchard Rd.
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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©2006 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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Which
concrete project would you rate as most monumental?
