Bluegrass State Turns to Green Paving

The Kentucky Ready Mixed Concrete Association (KRMCA) teamed up with the City of Frankfort, Ky., to build a pervious parking lot that will serve as a demonstration of how to reduce the stormwater runoff that was adding to the pollution of area waterways.

On May 26, 2009, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the new Public Safety Building in Frankfort to showcase the pervious concrete parking lot’s ability to allow water to flow through it rather than off of it.

During the ceremony, a water truck poured hundreds of gallons of water over the parking lot for a first-hand demonstration of how water flows though pervious concrete rather than running off into the stormwater system.

When it rains in Frankfort, stormwater is channeled into the Kentucky River and local streams and creeks, adding to the problem of pollution that has been plaguing many waterways across the nation. City of Frankfort Engineer Eric Brooker came to the KRMCA in 2007  to inquire about pervious concrete and its ability to solve these stormwater problems.

The KRMCA awarded the City of Frankfort a grant and many of the Association’s member companies donated extra materials and supplies to install a pervious concrete parking lot.

City officials and KRMCA hope the parking lot will be an example for businesses and residences that are trying to do their part for cleaner water and will help the community deal with stormwater issues.

AASHTO and ASTM Harmonize
Portland Cement Specs

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ (AASHTO) Subcommittee on Materials and ASTM International’s Committee C01 on Cement recently passed ballot proposals to harmonize remaining significant differences between the portland cement standard specifications AASHTO M 85 and ASTM C150. The 2009 editions of the standards are anticipated to be available in late July and will include provisions for use of up to 5% inorganic processing additions, a Type II (MH) designation for cement for moderate heat of hydration and moderate sulfate resistance, simplified fineness requirements, and improved clarity for sulfate content provisions.

The result of a six-year cooperative effort, the harmonized standards enable more efficient use of natural resources and cement manufacturing technology, while ensuring a basis for improved quality of concrete construction. In doing so, they strengthen the sustainable development attributes of concrete construction. This effort to improve the specifications will continue as AASHTO and ASTM address new business items resulting from the balloting process in both organizations.

AASHTO M 85 and ASTM C150 have existed as parallel standards for portland cement since the 1940s. State departments of transportation reference one (or sometimes both) of these standards when specifying portland cement for concrete construction.
Contact John Melander

PCA Forecast on Track

Although several analysts have suggested that turnaround in the economy is imminent, a recent PCA Economic Research report states the economy will not begin its recovery until labor markets stabilize and lending standards ease.

A saddle-point in economic growth, characterized by a near zero growth of the gross domestic product, is expected to materialize in the forth quarter of 2009 through first quarter of 2010.  Improvement in labor markets, easing in lending standards, and release of pent-up demand is expected to drive stronger economic growth during the second half of 2010 and through 2012.

Despite some modest progress, PCA believes a bottoming out of economic declines is still several quarters away.  Its projection of a 17.7 percent decline in cement consumption and a 17 percent decline in construction activity remains on track.
Contact Ed Sullivan

New Date for Economic Seminar

"Practical Application of PCA Economic Forecast & Market Assessments,” providing marketing and corporate planning professionals the tools to fully understand and utilize PCA's market and economic data, will be offered August 4-5 in the PCA Skokie, Ill., headquarters.

Attendees will gain insight into how PCA creates the projections and the risks and turning points contained in each economic forecast. The seminar will show how market professionals can monitor macroeconomic indicators to determine if PCA projections are on track.

Cost is $295 for PCA members and $750 for non-members. All attendees will receive several PCA Economic Research publications including the 2008 Annual Yearbook.
Register on line at www.cement.org/learn.

Pervious Concrete Seminars Planned

PCA and the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association have once again combined efforts to offer the seminar Pervious Concrete – A Stormwater Solution in three additional cities this summer:

> July 30 – Phoenix
> August 4 – Houston
> August 6 – Boston

The course is ideal for civil engineers, architects, and landscape architects looking for the necessary project specifications for pervious concrete pavement systems.  Each one-day session provides detailed instruction on how to implement pervious concrete pavements as a solution for reducing stormwater runoff from building sites and other paved areas.

Attendees will learn the details of the systems, engineering properties, and construction techniques. 

Attendees will earn 6.0 Professional Development Hours and the seminar is registered with AIA Continuing Education System.
To register visit www.nrmca.org/seminars

RCC Webinar Scheduled

PCA will present a one-hour Webinar on the design and construction of roller-compacted concrete pavements on June 11 at 10 am CDT.

A roller-compacted concrete (RCC) pavement takes its name from the construction method used to build it. It's placed with conventional or high-density asphalt paving equipment, then compacted with rollers. RCC is used when strength, speed of construction, and economy are primary needs. It is commonly used at port, intermodal, and military facilities; parking, storage, and staging areas; streets and intersections; highway shoulders; and low-speed roads. It can also be used in a composite system as a base material.

This one-hour Webinar (PDH credit available) will discuss applications, benefits, mix design, construction, testing, and performance of RCC. The cost is $60 ($30 for PCA members; government officials; students and educators).
More information.

Blasting Tops MSHA Agenda

The spring 2009 semiannual regulatory agenda for Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) was released on May 12, 2009. Some items of particular interest to the regulated community include an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking  on explosives and blasting to address changes in technology that is planned for public notification in July 2009.

The blasting standards have not been updated since they were written in the 1970s. MSHA also proposes to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking on crystalline silica in April 2011 since the agency has not revised the standard since the 1970s. Final action on a rule addressing impairment from drug and/or alcohol use in mining is yet to be determined.

Novak Presents Sustainable Design at Teacher Workshop

Lawrence Novak, PCA’s director of engineered buildings, led a session on how to teach sustainable design at the Green Building Workshop for grade school and high school teachers on May 19-20 at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.  The session covered building materials, the role of the design professional, green building aspects, LEED, and teaching strategies.  Interactive discussions and demonstrations revolved around smart design, material efficiency, energy efficiency, water efficiency, and healthy environments. 

Included in the workshop was a tour of the museum’s new green Smart Home rated “Chicago’s Greenest Home” which utilizes exterior cement panel siding donated by Cembonit to add protection from the elements and thermal mass.  The teacher workshop program is designed to assist teachers in encouraging young minds to explore the full spectrum of sustainability for the future.
Contact Lawrence Novak

PCA Participates in Sustainable Design Conference

More than 50 design professionals gathered on May 19 at a Sustainable Design Conference to learn more on the integration of sustainable benefits of insulating concrete form (ICF) systems in “green” low-rise commercial applications.  Donn Thompson, PCA’s manager of low-rise sustainability and technology, participated with a presentation explaining the contributions of concrete systems to new construction and school projects certified to the new LEED Version 3, recently released by the US Green Building Council.

Attendees learned about the use of building science to properly detail wall systems and right size mechanical equipment in concrete structures. The use of Building Information Management systems for the creation of virtual modeling of green concrete structures was discussed.

The program was jointly sponsored by Cemstone Products, a concrete products and ready mix producer based in Minneapolis and ICF manufacturer Reward Wall Systems.
Contact Donn Thompson

Masonry Group Needs Industry Feedback

The Masonry Society (TMS) is conducting a survey to determine the services and publications of most value to those who work with masonry.   The survey should take 10-15 minutes to complete, and TMS is offering a discount on select publications to those who complete the survey.
Take the survey