ICFs Deliver for Timberlake Lodge

The builders saved time and money by choosing insulating concrete form (ICF) construction for the Timberlake Lodge Hotel Event Center in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Kuepers Inc., the architect and builder, recognized the many advantages ICFs would bring to their project, a 10,500 square-foot hotel with a water park and the capacity to handle groups as large as 600.  ICFs simplified and accelerated construction. Additionally, their structural strength was superior to that of competing wall assemblies.

ICFs were also chosen for their inherent performance benefits, specifically a superior fire rating between units (4 hour), high STC rating (55+), energy efficiency, and thermal comfort. ICFs were used in finishing the pool area because of their mold resistant properties.

Because ICFs allowed construction to continue through the winter months without interruption, the entire project was completed in just nine months, delivering early occupancy and reduced lead time for materials.

NECSA, NCCC Opt for PCA Alignment

The industry moved a step closer to alignment of the Regional Promotion Groups (RPGs) last week when the Board of Directors of the North Central Cement Council and the Northeast Cement Shippers Association recommended joining PCA as a division.

To date, seven RPGs have opted to align with PCA. The Great Lakes Cement Promotion Association, the Rocky Mountain Cement Council, the Northwest Cement Producers, the Southeast Cement Association, and the South Central Cement Promotion Association 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

EPA Report Highlights Improvements in Cement Manufacturing Sector

According to an U.S. EPA report released last week, between 2000 and 2006, cement manufacturers decreased energy consumption by seven percent when consumption is normalized by clinker production.

EPA's 2008 Sector Performance Report provides environmental profiles of 12 major sectors of the U.S. economy: cement manufacturing, construction, ports, chemical manufacturing, colleges and universities, food and beverage manufacturing, forest products, iron and steel, metal casting, oil and gas, paint and coatings, shipbuilding and ship repair. It is the third in a series of sector-based environmental performance reports.

In addition, although absolute pounds of hazardous emissions from cement manufacturers increased nearly 19 percent from 1995 to 2005, when normalized by annual clinker production,TRI air emissions decreased by 4 percent.  During 1995-2005, the industry's production grew by 24 percent. 

The report also highlighted that from 1995 to 2006, cement manufacturers reduced their waste per unit of production by one quarter.
Contact Deidra Ciriello

EPA Includes PCA Tire Derived Fuel Publications on Web Site

EPA has agreed to post two PCA research and information documents on the agency’s Web site page listing publications on scrap tire usage in the United States.

The two PCA documents are the Tire Derived Fuel Sustainable Manufacturing Fact Sheet and the Air Emissions Data Summary for Portland Cement Pyroprocessing Operations Firing Tire-Derived Fuels. These documents are currently available through the PCA and are now accessible through the following EPA Web site under “Other Publications.”

This effort was accomplished through PCA’s ongoing advocacy efforts with state and federal officials dedicated to promoting the environmentally beneficial use of scrap tires in cement kilns and other industrial uses.
Contact Tyrone Wilson
Access the reports on the EPA Web site

Sydney Tar Ponds Announces Expected Tender Date

In preparation for the cement-based solidification/stabilization (S/S) of the Sydney Tar Ponds and Coke Ovens Site in Nova Scotia, the Sydney Tar Ponds Agency has issued a pre-notification of tender to S/S contractors for treatment of the north and south tar ponds.  The agency expects a tender release during this winter, and hopes to award the contract in the spring of 2009.

This pre-notification concerns in situ treatment of about 550,000m3 of sediments within the Tar Ponds as part of the overall cleanup of the Sydney Tar Ponds and Coke Ovens Site. Hazardous constituents within the tar ponds include coal tars and poly-chlorinated byphenyls (PCBs). 

Sydney Tar Ponds and Coke Ovens Site is the place of a former steel plant, where 100 years of steel and coke production left more than a million tons of contaminated soil and sediment.  The Canadian government committed C$400 million to remediate the STPCO Site during a 10-year period.  This includes the S/S of nearly 750,000 cubic meters of contaminated sediment and soil with portland cement within the actual tar ponds.   Cement potential for the remediation of the Site is nearly 100,000 metric tons.
Contact Colin Dickson at Cement Association of Canada or Chuck Wilk at PCA.

Fourth “Emerging Trends in Concrete” Seminar Held:  More than 75 design and construction professionals attended “Emerging Trends in Concrete Construction ’08” in Long Beach, Calif., on October 11. The program, sponsored by the California-Nevada Cement Association, Precast/Prestressed Concrete Manufacturers Association of California, Southern California Concrete Producers, and Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute (CRSI), featured four expert presenters of diverse fields of concrete ranging from research, design and construction.  The half-day seminar, now in its fourth year, updates engineers and contractors about the latest advances in concrete building construction. Attendees also received complimentary PCA and CRSI publications.
Contact Attila Beres

Structural Engineers Association of California:  PCA and CRSI jointly exhibited at the Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC) Convention attracting about 400 attendees in Kona, Hawaii, September 23-28.  The highly regarded annual gathering is one of the largest structural engineering events in the U.S.  This year it was once again a draw for nationwide research experts and top practitioners, with many principals and partners of influential firms in attendance.  The sessions included several concrete-related presentations discussing code changes, new technologies, and landmark projects.
Contact Attila Beres