New Waves Hit Chicago’s Lakefront

Aqua, a stunning new Chicago high-rise, will be completed in early 2010. Using concrete as both structural element and architectural material, the designer builds upon the Mies Van Der Rohe ideal “form follows function,” and disguises the building’s rectilinear layout beneath a fluid face. 

The result is an unusual exterior that is attractive and functional.

A hotel, apartment, and condominium tower located near Chicago’s lakefront, Aqua, like its neighbors and many other Chicago high-rises, has a rectangular structural footprint. But irregular, curving balconies protruding from its faces impart a dynamic form. Concrete’s moldability makes the fluid façade possible.

Outlines of every floor plan are different. The balconies are made by loading the specifications for the curving edges into a surveying tripod with a built-in computer. Steel formwork is bent to form the contour. The floors are placed by pumping concrete to each level, and the cantilevered balconies are monolithic with the floor slabs. The balconies extend out as much as 3.7 meters (12 feet) from the glass curtain wall. Because of the irregular width of the protruding portions, some of the balcony space will be usable and some of it will not.

Jeanne Gang, Studio/Gang/Architects, designed the building.
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March PPI: Steel Up Sharply

Steel prices rose 5.%  from February to March, according to the March 2008 Producer Price Index (PPI). (Click on graph to enlarge.)

Asphalt increased 0.6%, and concrete prices rose 0.3% over the same period. Lumber prices declined for the eighth 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.
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Contact Craig Schulz

Mohler Joins PCA Construction Technology Center

Nathaniel Mohler has joined PCA as a concrete engineer in the product development department. Mohler will be responsible for the development and content of PCA’s technical literature covering the entire spectrum of concrete technology and cement manufacturing. In addition, he will assist in facilitation and teaching of PCA’s education and training programs.

Prior to joining PCA, Mohler was a construction materials engineer for Testing Service Corporation.  He has a Bachelors degree in materials science and engineering from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana.
Contact Nathaniel Mohler

McGinnis Hired for PCA Sustainable Development Team

Kelly McGinnis has joined PCA in the newly created position of program coordinator for the sustainable development department.  McGinnis will assist in outreach and education efforts, including the development of Web and e-newsletter content.

McGinnis previously worked for the Washington State Department of Ecology, the USDA Forest Service, and Washington State University Extension Service.  She holds a Bachelors degree in environmental science and ecology from Evergreen State College, Olympia, Wash.
Contact Kelly McGinnis

CTLGroup IAS Accreditation Expanded  

CTLGroup’s International Accreditation Service (IAS) certification now includes concrete anchor testing criteria.  CTLGroup has been accredited by IAS for several years to perform various material and structural component tests in accordance with applicable recognized standards. With the laboratory’s latest accreditation renewal, two important evaluation criteria related to mechanical and adhesive anchorage systems for concrete have been added.

IAS accreditation requires that testing laboratories perform services in compliance with strict quality guidelines contained in the International Standard ISO 17025.

2008 U. S. Forecast Subscription:  A recession in the near term is likely and it may not be mild. Many economists expect a “mild” recession for 2008, but PCA is not as optimistic. The subscription includes all three U.S. Forecasts for 2008 – Spring, Summer, and Fall. This publication is available in PDF format (ER386; $450.00, no discount; PDF free to members).
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Building Code Requirements and Specification for Masonry Structures and Commentaries (TMS 402/ACI 530/ASCE 5, TMS 602/ACI 530.1/ASCE 6):  This newest edition of the national masonry design code and minimum specification covers the design and construction of masonry structures and is accompanied by commentaries. Design methods include empirical design, prescriptive method, and strength design. It is written in such form that it may be adopted by reference in a legally adopted building code. The quality, inspection, testing, and placement of materials used in construction are covered by reference to TMS 602/ACI 530.1/ASCE 6 specification and other standards. Among the numerous changes and enhancements to this edition are provisions on self-consolidating grout, reformatted and clearer seismic design requirements, revised anchor bolt capacity equations, and defined inspection frequencies of key aspects of masonry construction (LT313; $100.00, no discount).
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Oxygen Enrichment In Cement Kilns: Selected References:  Oxygen enrichment—the addition of oxygen to the combustion process—has been used in U.S. cement kilns since the early 1960s, when results of a test program justified claims that it could substantially increase production while reducing fuel consumption. It is now used widely in the cement industry. The annotated references in this bibliography have been identified through searches of the PCA Library’s printed collection and online databases. This publication is available in PDF format (LB36; $15.00; PDF free to members).
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Selected Landmark Papers in Concrete Materials Research:  This new book contains thirteen landmark papers written by distinguished researchers from the early 1920s forward, the latest from 1981. Selected by ACI’s Publications and History Committees for their significance in the field of concrete and cement-based materials, they cover a broad range of topics, from the analysis of the chemical composition of portland cement to microcracking of high-strength concrete. Of the twenty-four authors, nine were associated with the PCA (LT315; $108.50, no discount).
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Fourth Quarter 2007 Survey of Portland Cement Consumption by User Group:  The Portland Cement Association’s Market Research department conducted a survey of portland cement consumption by user group. Cement company respondents provided the portland cement tonnage for the following markets: Brick & Block, Fiber Cement Siding, Concrete Pipe, Concrete Railroad Tie, Concrete Roof Tile, Oil & Gas Well Drilling, Packaged Concrete Products, Precast, RCC-Paving, RCC-Water Resources, Ready-Mixed Concrete, SC-Paving, SC-Water Resources, Streets & Highways Contractors, Waste Solidification & Stabilization, All Other Manufacturers and Contractors. Information on cement kiln dust (CKD) for soil-cement paving and waste solidification and stabilization was also collected. This report includes data from surveys conducted during the past six years. This publication is available in PDF format (MR120; $1000.00; PDF free to members).
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The Concrete House: Building Solid, Safe and Efficient With Insulating Concrete Forms:  This book guides the home buyer through the construction process of an ICF home. Written in a question-and-answer format, this hardback book covers all the phases of purchasing, planning and building. It also discusses the pros and cons of ICF homes (LT316; $20.00; no discount).
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