Juvenile Justice Center Receives
Top U.S. CEMEX Honor

The Alameda County Juvenile Justice Center earned dual recognition in the Sustainability and Institutional/Industrial categories of the Third Annual CEMEX Building Awards. (See below.) The San Leandro, Calif., building is the first LEED™ Gold Certified facility of its kind in the U.S.

The 379,000 square-foot structure includes a 360-bed Juvenile Detention Center, along with five courtrooms and offices for the District Attorney, Public Defender, Clerk of the Court, Sheriff, Health Care Services, County Office of Education, Library, and Probation.

The Center is equipped with high-tech security features and incorporates medical exam rooms, dental facilities, and indoor activity spaces.

Designed to greatly improve the safety and security of employees and detainees, the facility maximizes sustainability concepts by including a healthy indoor environment with natural light and fresh air and on-site solar power generation capabilities that will save taxpayer’s dollars through energy efficiency, water conservation, and waste reduction.

Hensel Phelps Construction Co. was the builder and concrete contractor and Hellmuth, Obata, and Kassabaum (HOK) was the architect/engineer on the project.

Amid Downturn, Contractors
Flock to CONEXPO-CON/AGG

There were no signs of recession at last week's CONEXPO-CON/AGG trade show, held March 10-15 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Tower cranes and heavy equipment loomed over the huge construction equipment trade show, which attracted a record 144,000 people and featured more than 2,000 exhibits.

A bookstore on the exhibit floor, technical sessions, and two press conferences showcased PCA's informational resources to the largely contractor crowd:

• At a press conference on March 11, PCA president/CEO Brian McCarthy announced the results of a new market research study on the perceptions of concrete as a sustainable building material. (See below.)
• PCA chief economist Ed Sullivan teamed up with the Associated General Contractors' economist Ken Simonson to present a joint press conference on their outlook for the economy and construction. (See below.)
• PCA's Michelle Wilson, Jim Niehoff, and Greg Halsted presented five technical sessions.
• PCA's bookstore exhibit showcased publications and other resources, with $10,000 of direct sales during the trade show.

Significant Declines in Construction and Cement Consumption Expected

U.S. construction activity and cement consumption are expected to experience significant declines this year, according to a recent PCA Economic Research report. Portland cement consumption is expected to drop 10 percent in 2008, followed by an additional 3.6 percent in 2009. Total cement consumption in 2008 is predicted to be 102.7 million metric tons.

High fuel prices, acceleration of home foreclosures, and the impact of the sub-prime crisis on credit standards are some of the current conditions that lead PCA to believe the economy is already in a recession and may continue to be in one for the first three quarters of 2008.

According to the forecast, the low-point in construction activity will materialize in 2009, leading to an eventual 5.2 percent cement consumption growth in 2010.
Contact Ed Sullivan

Sustainability Survey: Concrete Shows Strength in Energy Efficiency, Durability

Concrete was used as a sustainable material by more than three out of every four design professionals recently surveyed about their preference of materials for sustainable design.

According to a recent PCA market research study, 77 percent of surveyed architects, designers, engineers, and other design professionals said they chose concrete as their sustainable material for recent projects.

Survey respondents ranked the level of importance of 22 attributes when selecting building materials.  Energy efficiency was perceived as the most important attribute with a mean rating of 4.5 out of 5, followed by durability (4.4), and aesthetics (4.2).

When asked which building material they preferred to meet those attributes, concrete was the most common response for energy efficiency and durability.

Additionally, after measuring the mean ratings of the attributes and evaluating how concrete, wood, and steel were ranked against those same attributes, an index was developed to score how each material ranked, overall, as a green material.  Concrete’s green factor was 4.20, wood was 4.03, followed by steel with a green factor of 3.85.
Contact Lynne Koutsky

CEMEX Honors Sustainability & Innovative Design

Sustainable and innovative projects in California and Oregon took top honors in the Third Annual CEMEX U.S. Building Awards, announced last week at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2008.

CEMEX recognized 19 finalists for their use of concrete, execution of the project, architectural design, and attention for the environment. The U.S. winners will later compete for the world title at the 17th CEMEX International Building Awards in Monterrey, Mexico, in October.

The awards recognize the best builders, designers, and architects in the following categories: Sustainability, Residential, Institutional/Industrial, and Infrastructure.

The Alameda County Juvenile Justice Center in San Leandro, Calif, received the Sustainability Award and Institutional/Industrial Award.  Fillmore Heritage Center, San Francisco, Calif., earned the Housing Award and Willamette Falls Flow Control, Oregon City, Ore., received the Infrastructure Award.

Fiorato Named to NAE

The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) has elected 76 new members, including Tony Fiorato, chairman and former president and CEO of CTLGroup. Fiorato was recognized for his for research on improved concrete materials and construction, development of tests and standards, and technical leadership.

The NAE has more than 2,200 peer-elected members and foreign associates, who are among the world's most accomplished engineers. Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering research, practice or education” and to the “pioneering of new and developing fields of technology.”

New Mexico Pavement Seminar Stresses Range of Concrete Options

A one-day workshop on municipal pavements will feature design of concrete streets and intersections, pervious concrete, full-depth reclamation, and overlays.

Scheduled for April 15 in Albuquerque, N.M., the course is sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Cement Council, the American Concrete Pavement Association, and the New Mexico Ready Mix Concrete & Aggregates Association.
More information or to register
Contact Don Clem

Bagga Joins PCA Market Research

Alpa Bagga has joined PCA as senior market research analyst in the market research department. Prior to joining PCA, Bagga worked as an analyst for the McIlvaine Company in Northfield, Ill., and as a consultant. She has a bachelors degree in economics from University of Illinois, Chicago.
Contact Alpa Bagga

Lab and Exercise Manual of Concrete Construction: This new CD will aid in understanding concrete as a construction material. The extent to which concrete’s quality is maintained is demonstrated through numerous tests. Students will investigate the basic mechanical properties of concrete and its constituents, mix design formulations, fresh and hardened concrete properties, and high-performance concrete. The test methods and procedures used during lab sessions are adapted from, and are in ac­accordance with, the standards devised by the ASTM International (CD073; $50.00, less discount).
More info

Cold Weather Masonry Construction: Extension of the construction season into cold weather avoids seasonal construction delays and permits better utilization of a mason contractor's resources, particularly manpower. With careful planning and implementation of an effective cold weather construction program, successful masonry construction can proceed despite cold weather. This publication provides the needed information for development of such a program. It’s based on the latest recommendations from the Specification for Masonry Structures (ACI 530.1-08/ASCE 6-08/TMS 602-08); (IS248; printed copies are $2.00, less discount; PDF is free).
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Durability of Ternary Blended Cements in Bridge Applications: The long-term performance of bridge components can be greatly influenced by durability parameters, including freeze-thaw and chloride permeability resistance. Both were tested along with the compressive strength of 24 high-performance concrete (HPC) mixtures. The results indicate that properly air-entrained HPC is generally resistant to the effects of freezing and thawing, as there was minimal degradation of the dynamic modulus of elasticity in all specimens tested (SN2754; no charge; PDF only).
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Performance-Based Approach to Evaluate Alkali-Silica Reaction Potential of Aggregate and Concrete Using Dilatometer Method: The proposed performance-based approach provides a direct accountability for a variety of factors that affect ASR, such as aggregate reactivity (activation energy), temperature, moisture, calcium concentration, solution alkalinity, and water-cementitious material ratio. The study concludes that (1) the concept of activation energy can be used to represent the reactivity of aggregate subjected to ASR, (2) the activation energy depends on the reactivity of aggregate and phenomenological alkalinity of test solution, and (3) the proposed performance-based model provides a means to predict ASR expansion development in concrete (SN2820; no charge; PDF only).
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Proceedings of the 12th International Congress on the Chemistry of Cement (2007): Held in Montréal, Canada, July 8 to 13, 2007, the 12th Congress, “Cement Systems - a Knowledge-based Innovative Approach," was co-hosted by the National Research Council of Canada's Institute for Research in Construction and the Cement Association of Canada. About 299 papers and 82 poster sessions were presented. These proceedings offer a wealth of  technical information on cement chemistry and technology and  manufacturing issues, with special emphasis on sustainability. The CD is searchable by session and author, and has a separate full-text search function (CD077; $125, no discount).
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Hickory Log Creek RCC Dam and Reservoir Will Supply Much Needed Water: Four-page case study covers a new roller-compacted concrete (RCC) dam to supply water to the City of Canton and Cobb County, Ga.  Both earthen and RCC dam options were evaluated for the project. After considering all the various factors, authorities determined that the RCC dam would cost about $4 million less and could be completed within the City’s ambitious schedule (PL467; $18.00 for a pack of 25, no discount; PDF is free).
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Soil-Cement Plays Key Role in Protecting Large Water Impoundments: Four-page case study covers the use of soil-cement to protect the internal slopes of water impoundments at Palo Verde Nuclear Generation Station in Arizona.  Two 6-inch layers of soil-cement were placed using the plating method of construction to form a 12-inch foundation layer of a composite liner system (PL660; $18.00 for a pack of 25, no discount; PDF is free).
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Rueter-Hess Dam and Reservoir to Solve Water Shortage Problems: Two-page case study profiles the use of soil-cement to protect the upstream slope of a new earthen dam near Parker, Colo.  The two-phase project  includes building a 135-ft (41-m) high dam in Phase I and raising the dam to 196 ft (60 m) in Phase II.  Phase I was completed in 2006 and Phase II should be completed by 2011. Flatter slopes of the upstream face  received two 1-foot layers of soil-cement  using the plating construction method. Steeper slopes were protected with soil-cement built using the stair-step method (PL661; $10.00 for a pack of 25, no discount; PDF is free).
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Concrete Homes House Plans – Volume Four:This fourth edition of the plan book from the publishers of Concrete Homes magazine features nearly 100 of today’s most popular home plans. Collected from four prominent design firms, they are specially designed to incorporate the benefits of high-performance, above-grade concrete wall systems – energy efficiency, durability, safety, and comfort. Each offering is in full color and illustrated with a front elevation, floor plan, and basic statistics about the home. Contact and pricing information is provided, allowing you to purchase stock plans or request more information (LT312; $9.95, no discount).
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George Clooney Edges Out Danica Patrick on Spokesperson Poll

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, PCA advertising programs featured celebrity spokespersons such as Bob Hope, Robert Young, and Art Linkletter. What current celebrities would make good spokespeople for PCA and concrete?

>Victoria Beckam: 12.94 percent

>George Clooney: 37.31 percent

>Danica Patrick: 34.33 percent

>Brad Pitt: 15.42 percent

Take the current PCA Poll