Lot Beautiful and Puddle-Free with PICP

Customers at the Marine Market Way shopping center in Burnaby, B.C., don’t have to worry about dodging puddles in the parking lot thanks to the use of permeable interlocking concrete pavement (PICP).

PICP, the masonry counterpart to pervious concrete, diverts surface precipitation to recharge groundwater, and helps clean water of pollutants.

There are no drainage inlets nor separate detention ponds at Marine Market Way, allowing for more rentable space. Owners divert roof runoff and water falling directly on the parking lot to an open-grade stone base and subbase, where it is detained and filtered prior to being released at lower rates into the drainage system.

The project is impressive not just for its size—1,161 spaces and 350,000 square feet—but also for its attention to detail.  It features two colors of paver units laid in a herringbone pattern delineating driving lanes and parking spaces. Adjacent spaces are marked by small plastic inserts instead of paint, and charcoal gray-tinted pavers disguise oil drips from cars. Joints between pavers are tight enough to handle shopping carts and comply with ADA guidelines.
Contact Jamie Farny

Southeast, South Central Latest RPGs to
Align with PCA

The Southeast Cement Association and the South Central Cement Promotion Association are the latest Regional Promotion Groups (RPGs) to recommend joining PCA as a division.

To date, a total of five RPGs have opted to align with PCA. The Great Lakes Cement Promotion Association, the Rocky Mountain Cement Council, and the Northwest Cement Producers  also voted to dissolve and join PCA.

In February of this year, PCA’s Executive Committee unanimously endorsed a proposal to integrate RPGs into the management and organizational structure of PCA. The goal is to better align national and regional programs in promotion and advocacy. The move will also centralize administrative functions under PCA. Currently, the ten RPGs are affiliate members of PCA and operate under a cooperative agreement that defines the roles and responsibilities of each party.

Contact John Prentice

Technical Session Slated for Fall Meeting

PCA’s Manufacturing Technical Committee will present its annual technical session on Tuesday, August 26, as part of PCA's fall committee meetings in Chicago.

Seven presentations are scheduled:

> Oxy-Fuel Fired Cement Production - Stefan Laux
> XP4i : Innovative Technology - Pierre Stouffs and Olivier Hancotte
> Waste Heat Recovery for Industrial Processes - Dan Wishnick
> The Reduced Emission Oxygen Kiln- Frank Zeman
> Biodiesel: Background, Issues and Opportunities - Richard Nelson
> Biodiesel: Technical Issues - Richard Nelson
> Acoustic Cleaning Applications: A Real World Cement Plant Case Study - Corrine Prince

The session will be Webcast live and then archived on PCA’s Web site.
More information or to register

Training the Trainers at Building and Bridge Professors’ Seminars

Fifteen architectural, civil, and construction engineering professors from U.S. and Canadian universities met at the 17th Annual Building Professors’ Seminar, August 4-6, at PCA headquarters in Skokie, Ill. 

Designed to help the professors enhance their concrete design courses, the class provided up-to-date information on the design and construction of multistory concrete buildings.  Topics included teaching the fundamentals of structural concrete design, economic aspects of design and construction, changes introduced in ACI 318-08, and seismic design and detailing for concrete buildings. Forums and open discussions allowed attendees to compare notes on successful teachings of structural concrete building design.

In addition, nineteen structural engineering faculty attended the 10th Annual Bridge Professors’ Seminar, August 7-8.  This course provided professors with background information and tools to facilitate teaching new concepts introduced in the bridge design specifications.  The seminar focused on the latest AASHTO bridge design specifications, which contain design requirements significantly different than those of the ACI 318 Building Code. 

PCA and allied groups hosted building and bridge seminars.  Regional promotion groups, Cement Association of Canada regions, and other local industry groups sponsored the professors.  Each attendee received handout materials provided by the speakers, CD-ROM with PowerPoint presentations, and numerous publications related to the seminar topics.
Contact Basile Rabbat or Larry Novak

PCA Economic Seminar Provides Planning Tools

More than 50 cement and concrete marketing professionals attended Practical Application of PCA Economic Forecast and Market Assessments, a PCA seminar, on August 12-13 at the PCA headquarters in Skokie, Ill. The theme of the seminar, "Managing Forecast Risk," provided insight into how PCA creates its projections and how to best leverage PCA reports and forecast information.  Attendees received several PCA economic research publications, including its annual yearbook.
Contact Ed Sullivan

Jedrzejewska Joins PCA Market Research

Aleksandra (Aleks) Jedrzejewska has joined PCA as a market data analyst in the market research department. Prior to joining PCA, Jedrzejewska interned in the program development departments at the International Executive Service Corps and the World Trade Center of Illinois. She has a bachelors degree in international business from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
Contact Aleks Jedrzejewska

Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures / Dosage et Contrôle Des Mélanges de Béton: The English and French Canadian edition of PCA’s premier publication on CD has been updated. Easily searchable, it provides quick access to the book’s entire text, figures, and tables, including the extensive glossary. Referenced PCA publications are included on the CD and linked. PowerPoint slide sets cover contents of all chapters, and short instructional videos add a lively element to both book and slides (CD101; $60.00, less discount).
More info

Identifying Incompatible Combinations of Concrete Materials: Volume III—Additional Appendices: Research report provides data tables and figures related to protocols on incompatibility issues in concrete that were developed in research co-sponsored by FHWA and PCA. Research resulted in a testing protocol that product manufacturers, concrete producers, contractors and owners can use to monitor their materials and concrete systems. The protocol is phased so that relatively simple field tests can provide early warnings of potential problems, and central laboratory tests can support and confirm the field work (SN2897c; no charge; PDF only).
More info

First-Quarter 2008 Survey of Portland Cement Consumption by User Group: PCA surveyed cement companies to determine consumption by user group in 16 markets: brick and block, fiber cement siding, concrete pipe, concrete railroad ties, concrete roof tile, oil and gas well drilling, packaged concrete products, precast, RCC paving, RCC-water resources, ready-mixed concrete, SC-paving, SC-water resources, streets and highways contractors, waste solidification and stabilization, and all other manufacturers and contractors. Information on cement kiln dust (CKD) for soil-cement paving and waste solidification and stabilization also was collected. This report includes data from surveys conducted over the past six years (MR120; $1,000, no discounts; free to PCA members).
More info or contact Ninab Maradkel

The Building Market 2006: PCA surveyed decision makers in the low-, mid- and high-rise building market in 2006 to measure changes in their attitudes and perceptions of concrete and competing materials. This research was conducted as part of the measurement criteria research program, which strives to measure the effectiveness of promotions by tracking market share, promotional successes, and the attitudes and perceptions of decision makers (MR410.06; $250.00, no discount; free to PCA members).
More info or contact Ninab Maradkel

Homebuilder Report 2007: PCA Market Research surveyed custom homebuilders across the United States in 2007 to assess their awareness and use of concrete above-grade wall systems, competing systems, basements, driveways, roofing and siding, decks, patios, and landscape structures, as well as to measure the attitudes and perceptions of homebuilders toward these systems.  In addition, homebuilders’ perceptions of homeowners were measured (MR451.07; $350.00, no discount; free to PCA members).
More info or contact Ninab Maradkel

The Streets and Local Roads Market 2006: PCA Market Research surveyed decision-makers in the streets and local roads market in 2006 to measure changes in their attitudes toward and perceptions of concrete and competing materials. This research was conducted as part of the measurement criteria research program, which strives to measure the effectiveness of promotions by tracking market share, promotional successes, and the attitudes and perceptions of decision-makers (MR491.06; $350.00, no discount; free to PCA members).
More info or contact Ninab Maradkel

Water Resources 2007: PCA Market Research surveyed decision-makers in the water resources market in 2007 to measure changes in their attitudes and perceptions of cement and competing materials.  Of the many cement applications for water resources, roller-compacted concrete (RCC) dams and soil cement bank protection have been the focus of PCA promotions and are the focus of this survey.  The dam market focuses on new/replacement dams and rehabilitation (MR410.07;  $250.00, no discount; free to PCA members).
More info or contact Ninab Maradkel

Bailout Too Little Too Late

Will the government bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac help ease the credit crunch and speed recovery in the housing market?

> Yes: 35%
> No: 65%

Notable comments:
“It is merely corporate welfare.”

“Our tax dollars are again hard at work. When will the government reward me for living within my means and not buying more than I can afford?”

“The only thing that will ease the credit crunch and speed recovery in the housing market is time. Optimism will be high after Obama becomes president this fall.”

“Yes, as it sends a vote of confidence to the sector, and beyond our borders. More important, foreign investors now recognize government support for a going concern that is like a utility, but needs tighter financial management.”

“Fix the dollar and the housing and credit markets will improve. If the federal government is concerned with markets they should manage their money as an example of how retain a good credit rating and to not spend more than they can afford.”

“The higher costs of living related to fuel prices and its trickle down effect, combined with the abundance of houses on the market, could take years for the housing market to rebound. The bailout will only contribute to the enormous national debt.”

Take the current poll.