Low-Rise Project Receives High Praise

Melrose Commons Site 5 in New York’s Bronx endeavors to bring a safe, quiet environment to its tenants while simultaneously pushing the boundaries of sustainability.  Achieving this challenge earned the affordable-housing project top place for sustainability in the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute's 2009 Design Awards.

The project used precast concrete systems to provide speed of erection, minimal air infiltration, durability, decreased material waste, and inherent green building properties. Precast construction also allowed designers to overcome constraints of a tight site and busy urban setting.

The five-story, all-precast concrete structure includes 63 units, ranging from 620 square-foot one-bedroom apartments to 1355 square-foot three-bedrooms.

Currently, this project is awaiting the award of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum certification, the highest rating offered in the LEED program. Upon award, this will be the first all-precast concrete housing project to receive a LEED platinum rating, proving that through the use of precast concrete, cost savings and sustainability can be compatible goals.

The project was designed by Danois Architects, New York, N.Y., and Equus Design Group, Belmont, Mass. Photo courtesy of Michael Smith and Monica Schultes.
Contact Jamie Farny

PCA Webinar Highlights Sustainable Pavements

PCA will offer the webinar "Sustainable Pavements: Concrete and More..." on September 18, 10-11 a.m. (CDT). This webinar demonstrates how concrete and other cement-based paving products can be used to achieve sustainable pavement solutions and lower the carbon footprint of roads.

Pavement products to be covered include conventional concrete, pervious concrete, roller-compacted concrete, full-depth reclamation, cement-treated bases, and cement-modified soils.

Webinar instructors will the highlight sustainable contributions of these products, including longevity; energy conservation and conservation of natural resources; reducing heat island effect, lighting requirements, and traffic congestion; improving safety, and more.
More information or to register

PCA Fall Board Meeting Slated for Washington, D.C.

The PCA Fall Meeting will be held on October 25-27, 2009, at the Four Seasons Hotel, Washington, D.C. In addition to the PCA Board Meeting, the PCA Education Foundation and the CTLGroup Board are scheduled to meet.

The first group event will be the Sunday evening reception on October 25. 
The NESHAP Committee and the Climate Change Policy Committee will meet on Monday, October 26, at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., respectively. The Annual and Board meetings on Tuesday will include a Town Hall Meeting focused on climate change and NESHAP. PCA chief economist Ed Sullivan will present his fall forecast.

The hotel cutoff is September 28.  Reservations can be made by calling the hotel, 202.944.9157 or online at reservationswas@fourseasons.com.  Please mention the Portland Cement Association Fall Meeting.
Contact Jan Fansworth

Ash Grove Receives EPA National
Volunteer Campaign Award

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 Director of Environmental Services Dr. Ron Hammerschmidt presented Ash Grove Cement Company last week with an award for its support of "United We Serve" and the Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign.

United We Serve is part of President Obama's national volunteer campaign that challenges all Americans to engage in sustained, meaningful service to meet growing social needs.

On August 19 employees of Ash Grove Cement Company and its private sector chemical recovery partners, Tradebe Pollution Control Industries and Cadence Environmental Energy, Inc., collected and disposed of outdated and excess chemicals from science labs and custodial stocks at Grandview Middle and High schools in Grandview, Mo.

"Ash Grove has been honored to work with the U.S. EPA and others in support of the Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign here at Grandview High School," said Michael Harrell, Ash Grove's manager of Alternative Fuel and Resource Recovery. "We strongly support environmentally beneficial opportunities like these that offer the opportunity to partner with local communities."

Regional Reinforced Concrete Design
Courses Available

PCA and ACI have teamed up to offer Reinforced Concrete Design in 10 cities.  This intensive two-day course will bring participants up-to-speed with the latest design requirements of the ACI 318-08 Building Code.

The seminar is ideal for designers wishing to fine tune their skills, and build more efficient and safe reinforced concrete structures. It also provides designers who may not have taken reinforced concrete in engineering school but are now faced with designing concrete structures information they need.

In addition it is excellent information for engineers preparing for the Professional Engineers’ or Structural Engineers’ exam or who simply need Professional Development Hours to maintain professional engineer status (worth 15 PDHs).

Seminars will take place:
> September 29-30—Chicago
> October 6-7—Philadelphia
> October 13-14—Denver
> October 20-21—Minneapolis
> October 27-28—Atlanta
> November 3-4—St. Louis
> November 17-18—Los Angeles
> December 1-2—Houston
> December 8-9-—Charlotte, N.C.
> December 15-16—Portland, Ore.
More details and registration

Home Inventory Levels Improve

The inventory of homes on the market has shown improvement, according to the latest edition of PCA's Construction Pulse. Total inventory has fallen below nine-month supply for the first time since 2007.  While this is welcomed news, builders typically do not ramp-up activity until inventory levels reach five-month supply.  That level is not on the near term horizon.

The U.S. Construction Pulse is published by PCA's economic research group and is designed to aid users in identifying emerging trends in the national construction industry.  The U.S. Construction Pulse contains data, analysis, and outlooks spanning residential, nonresidential, and public construction including subsector breakouts.
For more information contact the Economic Research Team

Free Registration to World of Concrete

World of Concrete 2010 will be held in Las Vegas on February
1-5, 2010. 

The largest show for the concrete industry features more than 1,800 exhibitors and more than 150 seminars and conference sessions.

As a co-sponsor, PCA offers free admission and a discount on seminars to anyone who registers through our Web site.  Additionally, PCA receives a rebate from Hanley-Wood based on the number of pre-registered attendees who come to the show.
For free registration and discounts on seminar fees, click here