Concrete Provides Luxury Residence in Atlanta

Concrete construction’s flexibility was key to the completion last year of the Parc at Buckhead, a high-rise independent living community for 55 and older active seniors. The 296,000 square foot, 20-story concrete frame tower, is located in the heart of the Buckhead district, an upscale Atlanta community.

When last-second additions and revisions were requested to maintain the expectations of the developer and vision of the architect, the flexibility of concrete construction allowed the design team to meet these needs while staying on schedule and within budget.  

To aid the construction schedule, a 5000-psi high early concrete mix was used for the tower slabs that allowed for stressing after 24 hours.  In place IntelliRock concrete maturity testing was used to avoid the requirement of an on-site testing facility.  Tower construction moved skyward at one floor, almost 15,000 square feet plus vertical structure, every seven days.

The concrete supplier worked constantly to update their mixes so construction could continue through a transition from winter to summer and also to allow the mix to be continuously pumped up the tower more than 200 feet.

The building consists of 193 apartments including landscaped gardens and the amenities and services of a five star hotel. There is also an elevated lap pool, sunroom, and terrace next to the tower that provides a stunning view of Buckhead for the residences, utilizing similar concrete frame design to the tower.

Corcoran Ota was the project’s architect. Pruitt Eberly Stone was the structural engineer and Choate Construction was the general contractor.
Contact Larry Novak

CAC Appoints Dickson Vice President - Atlantic Region

The Cement Association of Canada (CAC) announced last week that it has promoted Colin Dickson to the position of Vice President - Atlantic Region, replacing Bill Dooley, who retired on July 4, 2008. Dickson will devote most of his time to market promotion, with particular emphasis on the Canadian stabilization/solidification market. He will also continue to work closely with Tim Smith on the concrete highways market. Industry Affairs in the Atlantic Region will be handled by the National Office.

Since joining the CAC in 2003 as its director of business development – Atlantic Region, Dickson has been active in the promotion of roller-compacted concrete, tilt-up concrete construction, and cement-based solidification/stabilization. His efforts contributed to the selection of cement-based S/S as the remediation solution for the Sydney Tar Ponds and with the growth of the tilt-up market in New Brunswick.

Dickson received his Diploma of Engineering from Dalhousie University and his Bachelor of Engineering from the Technical University of Nova Scotia. He completed his MBA at Saint Mary's University, receiving the gold medal for academic excellence for achieving the highest GPA in the Executive MBA program.
Contact Colin Dickson

S/S Used for First Time in Quebec

The site of a former galvanization process plant will be the first cement-based stabilization/solidification (S/S) in Quebec.  The Corbec site is located along the Lachine Canal in Montreal, the oldest industrial zone in Canada.

The site is mainly contaminated with mainly heavy metals such as zinc.  Remediation will include the excavation of 11,000 m3 (15,000 cubic yards) of soils that will be treated with approximately 3,000 tons of cement.  A parking lot is planned for the S/S treated area.

The contractor and site owner, Vespo, chose cement-based S/S based on its cost-advantages to conventional dig/dump techniques.  It is investigating the use of S/S on additional sites in Quebec and elsewhere.
Contact Yves Brousseau
Contact Chuck Wilk

Still Time to Register for Financial Execs Summer Meeting

Registration is still open for the summer meeting of PCA's Financial and Administrative Executives Committee (FAEC), July 27-29, 2008, in Hilton Head, S.C. This year's program includes an an in-depth presentation and discussion with John Mackay of Mackay Research Group on the annual PCA Cement Industry Financial Benchmarking Report.
For the meeting agenda and registration information contact Michelle Nyquist.

ASHRAE Addressing Increased Energy Conservation

Progress is being made on energy computer simulations to evaluate more stringent energy conservation features for buildings. Funded by the Department of Energy, the tests are being performed by the Pacific Northwest National Labs for American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 90.1, Energy Standard for Buildings, Except Low-rise Residential.

These energy simulations are important because they are expected to show ways in which energy savings may be obtained by improvements to mechanical and electrical systems and glazing instead of requiring unwarranted insulation levels for opaque wall area which adversely impact exterior walls using mass materials like concrete and masonry.

ASHRAE has challenged the Std 90.1 Project Committee to increase energy cost savings by 30 percent compared to the 2004 edition. 
Contact Steve Skalko

Registration Open for TCA/PCA 2008 National Design Competition

The Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA) and the Portland Cement Association are sponsoring Fire Storm Housing 2008, where architecture students are invited to present conceptual designs for firestorm-resistant housing located in the Santa Ana region of California using tilt-up panels.

This competition seeks to challenge entrants in creatively solving the problem of producing a custom, single-family residence for a model home in one of the most severely wildfire-affected areas in California.  Entrants are encouraged to present prominent, architecturally significant design solutions for this housing unit that can be placed in new rebuild communities that provide measurable improvements to long-term durability.

The registration deadline for entries is August 15, 2008. The question response deadline is September 1 and final submissions are due by September 15, 2008. Winners will be announced at the TCA Annual Convention, to be held at the Arizona Grand Resort in Phoenix on Oct. 3.
For more information on the Student Design Competition, please visit www.tilt-up.org/students.

Cement Association of Canada Has New Address

Effective July 11, 2008, the national office of the Cement Association of Canada has a new address:
 
Cement Association of Canada
350 Sparks Street
Suite 502
Ottawa, ON
Canada  K1R 7S8

Phone, e-mail and fax numbers remain the same.