NextGen a Fortified First in Northwest

March 4 was media day for the recently completed NextGen "First to the Future" Home in West Seattle, Wash., the first home built in the Northwest to receive the Fortified...For Safer Living® designation of the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), an independent research organization supported by more than 200 insurance companies.

"The program is focused on building homes with added protection to better withstand nature's wrath, and in the Northwest that often means high winds and seismic events," said Chuck Vance, IBHS, who was on hand to mingle with media and explain the insurance industry’s objectives to reduce risk and improve safety.

"This designation lets people know that a home has been built beyond local building codes so they can have peace of mind that their property is protected to an even higher level."

The insulated concrete form home was built and promoted as the NextGen house by iShow, a Bellevue-based company that builds complete houses for large conventions such as the International Builders' Show.
Contact John Arroyo

February PPI: Steel Continues Climb

Steel prices rose 1.8% from January to February, according to the February 2008 Producer Price Index (PPI). (Click on graph to enlarge.)

Asphalt increased 0.1%, and concrete prices rose 0.4% over the same period. Lumber prices declined for the seventh consecutive month, down 0.1%.

Source: Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. PCA provides this information to aid in the promotion of concrete and cement-based products.
More information
Contact Craig Schulz

The Weather Channel
Takes Aim at Concrete Walls

The Weather Channel recently highlighted Tornado Awareness Week with a live wind-cannon demonstration at the Dukane Precast plant in Naperville, Ill. 

Broadcast live on March 17 and highlighted again on March 18, the segment illustrated the strength of precast concrete walls against debris thrown at the speed of tornado-strength wind.  Several of the benefits of concrete homes, including their energy efficiency and resistance to fire and mold, were featured. 

Additionally, the programs discussed the Fortified…for Safer Living® program that specifies construction, design, and landscaping guidelines to increase a new home’s resistance to natural disasters from the ground up. Dukane has built “Fortified” homes in the Illinois cities of Aurora and Bolingbrook.

Donn Thompson, PCA’s residential technology manager, was interviewed by The Weather Channel and featured on the March 18 broadcast.
View video at www.weather.com
Contact Patti Flesher

Lubbock's Concrete Home
Program Garners National Award

The National Community Development Association recently recognized Lubbock, Texas, for the city’s use of Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) HOME program funds to build affordable, structurally sound, and energy-efficient homes for low-income individuals.

The city, in partnership with local builders and community partners, used the funds to build several insulating concrete (ICF) form homes for a residential construction program was first initiated in 1998. ICF systems were chosen for their durability and energy efficiency.  ICFs help residents save 30 to 50 percent on energy costs.

The HOME program provides flexible formula grants to states and localities that communities can use in partnership with local nonprofit groups and other partners to fund a wide range of activities that build, buy, or rehabilitate affordable housing for rent, homeownership or to provide direct rental assistance to low-income people.

California Portland Earns EPA's ENERGY STAR® Sustained Excellence Award

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded California Portland Cement Company (CPC) a 2008 ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award in recognition of its continued leadership in protecting our environment through energy efficiency. CPC's accomplishments will be recognized at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., on April 1, 2008.

CPC, an ENERGY STAR partner since 1996 and four-time ENERGY STAR recipient, will be honored for its long-term commitment to energy efficiency. In 2007, CPC continued its energy reduction trend by cutting energy intensity by 2.5 percent from 2006 levels for a savings of nearly 363 trillion Btu.  This savings reduced CO2 emissions by 34,366 metric tons which is the equivalent of providing electricity to 4,644 American homes.  Across the U.S., top companies and organizations are continuing to promote energy efficiency through participation in ENERGY STAR.  Last year alone, Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved $16 billion on their energy bills and reduced greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 27 million vehicles.

“CPC is committed to helping protect the environment through our energy management program and sustainability practices,” said Jim Repman, CEO, CPC.  “Our long-standing partnership with ENERGY STAR shows our organization’s commitment to energy efficiency. We understand that partnering with ENERGY STAR is an important step in improving the environment.”

Lunch and FDR

On March 11, the Southeast Cement Association presented a lunch-time workshop and construction tour to illustrate the benefits of full-depth reclamation (FDR) with portland cement. Held in Raleigh, N.C., the tour attracted 65 people for a first-hand look at a project using FDR to reclaim and strengthen an existing roadway.

Kozeliski Joins Rocky Mountain Group

Frank Kozeliski, P.E., has joined the Rocky Mountain Cement Council as part-time engineering consulting in New Mexico.  Kozeliski will provided promotion services such as technical presentations, seminars, demonstrations, and representing the association at agency meetings. Kozeliski is the former owner of Gallup Sand & Gravel.  Prior to that, he worked for Law Engineering in Birmingham, Alabama.  He graduated from New Mexico University in Las Cruces, NM, with Bachelor and Master degrees in civil engineering.