Trump Tops Off in Chicago

On August 16, the crews poured the last of the nearly 180,000 cubic yards and 720 million pounds of concrete that support Chicago’s Trump Tower—the largest concrete-reinforced building in North America.

Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), Chicago's 92-story Trump Tower will be the tallest building built in North America since the completion of Sears Tower in 1974. Reaching a height of 1134 ft. (1362 ft. including the spire) above grade, the 2.6 million-square foot structure includes condominiums, service apartments, health club, parking, and retail functions.

Constructing Trump Tower out of concrete rather than steel allowed building designers to maximize window space, reduce material costs, and keep the upper floors from swaying in the powerful Chicago wind.

The use of flat plate construction allowed for more floors to fit within the same height compared to a steel-framed building. New ground was being broken through a series of high performance concrete mixes designed by Prairie Material Sales, Inc. and employed by SOM on the project. It is believed to be the first application of 16,000 psi self-consolidating concrete pumped and placed to an elevation up to 650 feet above grade.

Project completion is scheduled for spring of 2009; however, based upon the phased-occupancy plan, the 339 room hotel opened January 30, 2008, well before the topping out of the structure.
Contact Larry Novak

July PPI: Asphalt, Steel Continue to Rise

Asphalt prices had a double-digit increase, rising 14.5% from last month, according to the Producer Price Index (PPI). (Click on graph to enlarge.)

Steel prices from June to July grew for the ninth consecutive month, with an increase of 1.7%. Lumber prices dropped by 2.3%.  Concrete prices remained almost flat with a minimal increase of 0.1%.

During the last year, steel prices have increased 33.4%, asphalt prices have grown 34.1%, and concrete prices by 3.8%.  Lumber prices have declined by 5.8%.

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

American Cement Newest PCA Member

Effective September 1, 2008, American Cement Company, LLC will join PCA.  American's president, Cary O. Cohrs, will represent American Cement on the PCA Board of Directors.

The American plant is a joint venture of Old Castle Materials and Trap Rock, and is located in Sumterville, Fla. 

The 43 member companies of Portland Cement Association represent nearly 98% of the cement manufacturers in North America.
Contact Jan Farnsworth

Three Holcim Plants Earn ENERGY STAR

The Three Holcim (US) cement plants—Devil's Slide in Morgan, Utah; Theodore in Theodore, Ala.; and Midlothian in Midlothian, Texas—have earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) prestigious ENERGY STAR, the national symbol for protecting the environment through superior energy performance.

The ENERGY STAR indicates that each plant is in the top 25 percent of cement plants in the nation in terms of energy efficiency. Holcim improved its energy performance by managing energy strategically across the entire organization and by making cost-effective improvements to the plants.

EPA's national energy performance rating system provides a 1-100 scale that helps organizations assess how efficiently their facilities use energy relative to similar facilities nationwide. A plant that scores a rating of 75 or higher is eligible for the ENERGY STAR.

Call for Entries: 2008 Safety Innovation Awards

PCA and the Cement Association of Canada are cosponsoring the 2008 Safety Innovation Awards to honor innovative practices, programs, and projects in the cement industry. The awards program also seeks to communicate new ideas for improving safety and to raise awareness of its importance.

Winning projects will be profiled in Cement Americas magazine. Cement plants, grinding-only facilities, slag operations, and distribution terminals are eligible. Entries are due October 17, 2008.
Contact Donna Wortman

Updated Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures Course Available

PCA is going back to basics this fall and offering the newly revised Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures—The Course, October 6-9 at its Skokie, Ill. headquarters.

Based on PCA's most popular bestseller, Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures, seminar topics include: the fundamentals and detailed information on freshly mixed and hardened concrete; portland cements, supplementary cementing materials, aggregates, admixtures and fibers; air entrainment; procedures; precautions necessary during hot- and cold-weather concreting; commonly used control tests for quality concrete; special types of concrete, such as high-performance, lightweight, heavyweight, no-slump, roller-compacted, shotcrete, mass concrete and many more.

This comprehensive course benefits personnel from ready-mixed concrete producers, concrete contractors, inspection and testing organizations, material suppliers, consultants, and others from related industries.
More information and to register.

Air-Barrier Provisions Appeal Upheld

The American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Board Appeals Panel has upheld PCA’s appeal of Addendum “z” to ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007.  The publication of the addendum has been withdrawn.

Addendum “z” would have incorporated mandatory requirements for air barrier systems to be provided for building envelopes to minimize air leakage as an energy conservation measure.  Those requirements could adversely impact the use of masonry walls for the exterior enclosure of buildings. 

The appeal was based on both technical issues and procedural reasons.  The ASHRAE Standards Project Committee responsible for Standard 90.1 must now decide if it wishes to reconsider the merits of air barriers and process any proposed change to 90.1 according to ASHRAE’s standards development procedure. 
Contact Steve Skalko

NRMCA Hosts Live, Interactive Webinars

The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) Webinars are information-packed, interactive, low-cost, high-value learning opportunities on important subjects.

Covering a variety of promotional, environmental, and safety topics, the Webinars are all presented live by an NMRCA expert.

Webinars scheduled through 2008 are (all times Eastern):

> Aug. 26, 11 am – Environmental Benefits of Ready Mixed Concrete
> Sept. 2, 2 pm – Green-Star Auditing Certification
> Sept. 8, 11.am – Intro. to Concrete Pavement Analyst Program
> Sept. 22, 11 am – 5 Steps to Successful Parking Lot Promotion
> Sept. 23, 11 am – Environmental Benefits of Ready Mixed Concrete
> Sept. 26, 11 am – Flipping Parking Lot Projects to Concrete
> Oct. 10, 11 am – 5 Steps to Successful Parking Lot Promotion
> Oct. 13, 11 am – Intro. to Concrete Pavement Analyst Program
> Oct. 27, 11 am – Flipping Parking Lot Projects to Concrete
> Oct. 28, 11 am – Environmental Benefits of Ready Mixed Concrete
> Oct. 29, 2 pm – Accident Cost Accounting
> Nov. 10, 11 am – Intro. to Concrete Pavement Analyst Program
> Nov. 13, 11 am – Flipping Parking Lot Projects to Concrete
> Nov. 24, 11 am – 5 Steps to Successful Parking Lot Promotion
> Nov. 25, 11 am – Environmental Benefits of Ready Mixed Concrete
> Dec. 15, 11 am – 5 Steps to Successful Parking Lot Promotion
> Dec. 18, 11 am – Intro. to Concrete Pavement Analyst Program
For more information and to register.