ICFs Help School Make the Green Grade

An innovative classroom addition for the Windrush School in El Cerrito, Calif., takes advantage of the school’s bayside location to be 96 percent more energy efficient than a comparable school building, equating to an energy savings of approximately $10,000 per year.

The new wing will add seven classrooms and a library to the school. Sustainable features of the design include the use of insulating concrete forms (ICFs) for the walls, floors and roofs.  The ICFs will use concrete with a high level of fly ash.  In addition, the wing will use photovoltaic panels; the naturally ventilated and cooled classrooms will have operable windows and skylights, allowing breezes from the San Francisco Bay to do the work of mechanical air conditioners; and bioretention planters will reduce stormwater runoff and cleanse and treat the remaining stormwater before it enters the city’s system.

The new 14,000-square-foot classroom wing seeks to achieve a LEED® silver rating.  It will likely be the first LEED project in the city. 

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new 14,000-square-foot classroom wing took place last month and the building is expected to be ready for the fall 2008 term. The project was designed by Ratcliff in Emeryville, Calif.

Call for Entries: 2008 Environment and Energy Awards

PCA and Cement Americas magazine are seeking entries for the 2008 Cement Industry Energy and Environment Awards.The awards program is open to any cement manufacturing plant in North America and recognizes projects and activities from January 2007 through December 2007.

A panel of independent judges awards plants for achievements in six categories: environmental performance, land stewardship, outreach, innovation, energy efficiency, and overall environmental excellence.

The deadline for entries is Wednesday, March 1, 2008. Entry forms will also appear in several forthcoming issues of Cement Americas magazine.
Contact Tom Carter or Donna Wortman.

PCA Chief Economist to Deliver Fall Forecast

PCA Chief Economist Ed Sullivan will present an updated 2007 economic forecast via Webcast on Monday, October 29 at 11:00 am CDT. The outlook will cover economic factors affecting construction; the forecast for residential, commercial, and public works markets; and how the performance of these markets will impact cement and concrete consumption this year and in 2008.

The Webcast will be archived.
More information or access the Webcast

Roanoke Earns ENERGY STAR Recognition

Roanoke Cement Co., a subsidiary of Titan American LLC, was awarded a 2007 Energy Star for superior energy efficiency within the cement industry.

Wet corn milling, auto manufacturing and cement plants achieving a rating of 75 or higher using the ENERGY STAR Energy Performance Indicator specific to their plant type are eligible to apply for the ENERGY STAR.  The Roanoke plant, located in Troutville, Va., scored 98.

The Energy Star program recognizes manufacturer's energy efficient solutions that save money while protecting the environment and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Ten other U.S. plants are ranked in the EPA's "Top Performing Plants" in the country.
More information on the ENERGY STAR program

Ash Grove Cement Expands Foreman Plant

The Ash Grove Cement Company broke ground last Friday on a new manufacturing facility in Foreman, Ark. Ash Grove will invest in excess of $350 million in the new plant, which will replace their existing facility, located adjacent to the new site.

The new facility will increase cement production by 700,000 tons per year, for a total annual production of 1.7 million tons. It will also introduce the latest control technology and fuel systems that decrease the impact of cement manufacturing on the environment.

Governor Mike Beebe joined local, state and company officials for the groundbreaking.

More than 600 construction workers will be employed during the construction of the new plant.  It is expected to take two years to complete.

International Concrete Exposition Announced

International Concrete Exposition (Icon Expo) will be held February 26-28, 2009, at the Indiana Convention Center & RCA Dome in Indianapolis.  The Expo, co-sponsored by PCA, the Cast Stone Institute, the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute, and the National Concrete Masonry Association, continues a long-standing tradition of presenting a combined trade show for the concrete industry.

Icon Expo, a renaming of the Manufactured Concrete Products Exposition (MCPX), will feature education programs, product demonstrations, and networking opportunities with exhibitors showcasing the latest in products and technology serving the concrete products industry.
For more information about Icon Expo 2009, please visit www.iconexpo.org

Registration Open for 2008 Concrete
Technology Forum

The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association's (NRMCA) 2008 Concrete Technology Forum: Focus on Sustainable Development, is scheduled for May 20-22, 2008 in Denver.

The Third Annual Concrete Technology Forum will bring researchers and practitioners together to discuss the latest advances, technical knowledge, continuing research, tools and solutions for concrete and sustainable development.
For more information and to register, visit www.ConcreteTechnologyForum.org