Arizona Project Wins with Decorative Concrete

Decorative concrete brought a sophisticated social atmosphere to the community at the Citadelle, a prestigious mixed-use project in Glendale, Ariz.

The project utilized 90,596 square feet of stamped architectural concrete with multiple patterns and colors to achieve the desired ambience.  The parking lot area featured a saw-cut slate pattern with a stamped block pattern.  A slate pattern was also used in the main plaza and walkways in addition to sandblasted colored squares. 

The fountains and tree planters around the facility also feature decorative concrete accents.

In addition to overcoming the challenge faced with the arrangement of patterns in respect to each other and the buildings, the project was achieved under a tight timeline.  Contractors completed the hardscape in four months at the hottest time of the year when Arizona temperatures reached more than 110 degrees.

The project took top honors in the first annual decorative concrete awards competition sponsored by the Decorative Concrete Council, a committee of the American Society of Concrete Contractors.  Citadelle was recognized during a ceremony at the World of Concrete earlier this month.

January PPI:  Steel and Asphalt
Prices Down Sharply

Steel prices fell for the fifth consecutive month, decreasing by 5.8% from December to January. Asphalt prices also saw a significant decline, dropping 6.2% from the previous month. Lumber prices hit new lows last month, shrinking by 2.5%.

Concrete prices increased slightly by 1.4% from the previous month.

Within the last year, steel prices have decreased 2.2% while asphalt prices have grown 23.1%.  Concrete has seen a modest growth of 5% during the last year. Lumber prices have declined 8.1% during the same period.

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.
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Contact Ninab Maradkel

Reminder: Spring Board and Committee Meetings

Registration is now open for PCA's spring committee and Board meetings, April 27-29, 2009 at the Chicago Marriott O’Hare.

Most committees of PCA's Research and Technical Council and Market Promotion Council will meet, as well as committees of the Cement Association of Canada.

In addition, the Boards of PCA, CTLGroup, and the Cement Association of Canada; the Education Foundation; the Legal Counsels Committee, and the Government Affairs Council will hold meetings.

Deadline for hotel reservations and meeting registration is April 10.
Register for the meeting online
Contact Michelle Nyquist

World of Coal Ash Announced

The World of Coal Ash (WOCA) 2009 Conference will be held May 4-7,  in Lexington, Ky.

WOCA is a joint meeting combining separate symposia previously held by the American Coal Ash Association and the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research. WOCA also incorporates 'satellite' meetings sponsored by government and private organizations as well as educational short courses.

WOCA 2009 will offer a plenary session devoted to discussions by speakers from the Tennessee Valley Authority, the US EPA, environmental advocacy groups, engineering firms, and state regulatory staff about the Kingston ash spill.  The panel will discuss lessons learned, planned actions, and implications of this event on the U.S. CCP industry.

Additional meeting topics encompass all aspects of coal combustion products and byproducts as well as gasification products.
More at www.worldofcoalash.org

Concrete Engineering on Full Display During Engineering Week Expo

The DuPage Area Engineers Week Expo, held February 21 at the Illinois Institute of Technology Wheaton, Ill., campus, drew more than 1,200 attendees interested in learning more about the science behind building.

As part of the expo, PCA Director of Engineered Buildings Larry Novak presented  “Buildings to shake-rattle and roll!” to four standing-room-only crowds. The seminar allowed children to build Lego skyscrapers and test if they could withstand a miniature earthquake. Sponsored by the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois, the presentation highlighted sustainable high-rise building design and illustrated the concepts of seismic design.
Contact Larry Novak

Tools for Concrete Thinking: PCA’s 2009 Concrete Technology catalog of publications is now available. Each product in this catalog is linked to the PCA Bookstore for ease in ordering.
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Concrete Principles: A comprehensive overview of the tools, materials, and practices commonly used in the concrete industry. Intended primarily as a teaching tool (the book's subject areas correlate with established apprenticeship programs), it is also an excellent reference for upgrading knowledge and skills. The new 2nd edition offers significant added content in areas such as self-consolidating and pervious concrete, ICFs, and sustainable design. Published by American Technical Publishers (LT251; $65.00, no discounts).
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Beautiful Homes Built to Last:  Four-page brochure highlights the distinguished benefits of concrete masonry homes including durability and strength; resistance to allergens, mold and mildew; and intrinsic environmental value. These benefits, along with the ability to create dynamic exterior designs, make masonry home building a real advantage (PL994; $15 for a pack of 50, no discount).
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Development and Splicing of Flexural Reinforcement Based on ACI 318-08:  This reprint from the December 2008 issue of Structural Engineer magazine is a part of the PCA Professional Development Series. Each segment of the series gives the reader an opportunity to earn continuing education credit by reading a specially focused, sponsored article. Reading this article and completing the quiz should lead to an understanding of the ACI 318-08 Code provisions for the development and splicing of flexural reinforcement (RP446; no charge; PDF only).
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Life-Cycle Benefit of Concrete Slab Track:  This report summarizes the economic benefit of concrete slab track as compared to ballasted tie track, when used on railroad track in heavy freight traffic and combined freight and high-speed rail service. The benefit analysis is performed using the EcoSlab computer program developed by ZETA-TECH Associates, Inc. for PCA. The EcoSlab economic analysis model provides for the development of an accurate and detailed life-cycle cost analysis to compare ballastless concrete slab track with alternate railroad track systems. The user can vary significant track characteristics, track maintenance frequency and cost, and train operating parameters. The software also allows the user to perform a sensitivity analysis of several important variables (SN2860; no charge; PDF only).
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