Concrete Home Achieves “Net Zero” Energy Use for Habitat for Humanity

Spearheaded by Salt River Materials Group (SRMG), Phoenix-area contractors and suppliers are partnering to demonstrate “green” building technologies in the first concrete Habitat for Humanity® home in Arizona. 

Scheduled for an August groundbreaking, the home is constructed with a above-grade concrete walls, conditioned attic space that includes spray foam in the roof deck, and energy-efficient windows and HVAC equipment.  These elements combine to allow the home to reach the coveted “Net Zero” energy designation. The project’s additional “green” products will contribute to an overall LEED® for Homes Platinum designation.

Constructed with EPS foam and reinforced concrete, the homeowners will benefit with HercuWall™ providing a strong, safe, quiet, and comfortable, mold and termite free environment.  The wall system, when partnered with the attic insulation and energy-efficient windows and doors, contributes to an energy-efficient, thermal building envelope that reduces utility costs by 40 to 60 percent. 

The home will have an integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) solar roof system.  Additional concrete elements include concrete roof tiles, pervious concrete driveway, concrete countertops, and integral color concrete floors. 

Among 200 entries, the Habitat home was selected to be in the “Contemporary Desert Living Tour” sponsored by the U.S. Green Building Council and will be featured at the Greenbuild® International Conference and Expo in November in Phoenix.

Stimulus Funds Will Have Little Impact on Cement Consumption This Year

Bureaucratic delays in releasing funds coupled with long lags between outlays and construction activity for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) projects will lead to very little stimulatory impact on cement consumption in 2009, according to PCA chief economist Ed Sullivan in his most recent economic forecast.

PCA expects total cement consumption to decline 22 percent during 2009 to 75 million metric tons. The meeting of total ARRA obligations in 2010 combined with the beginning of a sustained pick-up in the residential sector will contribute to a 10.9 percent increase in total cement consumption in 2010, followed by a 13.1 percent gain in 2011.

“The letting of ARRA dollars has been slower to develop than expected,” said Sullivan.  “A sustained and dramatic escalation of outlays must occur if a sizeable increase in highway construction is going to materialize in 2009.”

The public construction sector, which typically accounts for 50 percent of cement consumption, also is hampered by large state deficits caused by a perfect storm of adverse economic conditions and job layoffs, leading to declines in state tax revenue.  Sullivan expects as jobs are created and consumer spending returns, public construction spending will rebound, but not until 2011.

“The residential sector has largely run its course as a significant cause of cement consumption declines and will start to be a strong contributor to growth in late 2010, early 2011.  Nonresidential construction will continue to be a drag until the end of 2011,” Sullivan said.
Contact Ed Sullivan

July PPI: Steel Prices Break 11-Month Downward Trend

Steel prices increased for the first time in eleven months, rising 1.7 percent from June to July, according to the Department of Labor’s monthly Producer Price Index (PPI). Asphalt prices decreased 1.8 percent from the previous month, and lumber rose 4.3 percent from June to July. Concrete prices decreased by 0.4 percent.

Steel prices have decreased 38.9 percent within the last year. Asphalt prices have decreased 10.1 percent, and lumber prices dropped by 9.4 percent.

Concrete prices have increased slightly (1.4 percent) during the last 12 months.

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

Holcim (US) Opens New Plant in Missouri

Holcim (US) has opened one of the world’s largest cement operations on a 3,900-acre, Mississippi River front site, capping nearly 10 years of permitting and upwards of $1 billion in equipment, construction, and site investments. Ste. Genevieve County, Mo., plant has a production capacity of 4 million metric tons/year and access to population centers consuming five to ten times that output.

Holcim (US) CEO Bernard Terver noted, “This plant and our robust network of terminals and distribution assets will ensure a reliable supply of the highest quality cement to our valued customers for many years to come.”

Ste. Genevieve plant is one of the most environmentally efficient cement production facilities ever operated, he added, and reflects major commitments to minimize emissions, protect air quality, and conserve national resources.

The cement plant and quarry have an initial payroll of 250. A harbor and fleeting facility along the Mississippi, coupled with some of the largest silos ever built, will enable Holcim (US) to traffic more than 75 percent of plant materials and finished products by barge--maximizing energy efficiency and reducing environmental impact.

Requirements for Sustainable Construction Available from PCA

To help local governments implement green building codes, PCA has developed High Performance Building Requirements for Sustainability, a sample ordinance written in mandatory language that amends and appends the International Code Council International Building Code (IBC) to address high performance and sustainable buildings.

The requirements include the concepts in most other sustainability or green standards that are within the purview of the building code department while enhancing disaster resistance and setting more stringent durability requirements. 

PCA has aligned the provisions with the concepts of both the Whole Building Design Guide (wbdg.org) and High Performance Building Council.  Enacting and enforcing these provisions provides the basis for designers and owners to obtain certification as a US Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for New Construction (LEED-NC).

The ordinance is organized by chapter and section consistent with the IBC format and is intentionally limited to issues typically within the purview of the building code and zoning and land use officials. There are no requirements for sole source certification or fees that increase the initial project design cost.
Contact Steve Szoke
Download a free copy at www.cement.org/codes.