Chicago's Marina City Celebrates 45 Years

Marina City, the landmark structure located along the Chicago River in downtown Chicago, will celebrate its 45th birthday in 2009. Marina City is credited with being the first urban, post-war, high-rise residential complex in the U.S. and with starting the residential renaissance of the inner cities. Its mixed-use format of residential / office / retail with a parking base is still the model for downtown developments.

Constructed of exposed reinforced concrete, the complex is easily identified by its twin corncob-shaped towers. The ability of concrete to easily form the petal shapes of the apartments is one of the many reasons the engineer and architect selected reinforced concrete.

When completed in 1964, the towers were both the tallest residential buildings and the tallest reinforced concrete structures in the world. Architect Bertrand Goldberg, a student of Mies van der Rohe, designed the Marina City complex in 1959 . The construction cost was $36 million. Unions, fearing the flow of people from the city to the suburbs in the 1960s would lead to a decrease of jobs, primarily financed the project.

The concept of a residential “city within a city” offered an alternative to moving to the surrounding small towns. Considering the current trend for downtown residential towers because of people moving from the suburbs and sprawl back into the city, Marina City was ahead of its time. Living and working downtown eliminates the need for daily commuting by car, an original marketing slogan for the tower.
More on Marina City.

October PPI:  All Materials Experience Declines

All four building materials reported declines in prices in October. Steel prices dropped for the second consecutive month, decreasing by 4.2% from September to October. For the first time in 10 months, asphalt prices also declined, falling 4.0% from the previous month.

Lumber prices decreased by 4.7% from September to October and concrete prices experienced a slight 0.2 % reduction.

During the last year, steel prices have increased 34.3% and asphalt prices have grown 45.5%.  Concrete prices in the last year grew by 4.1%.  Lumber prices have declined by 7.1%.

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 Ninab Maradkel

Concrete Thinkers Revealed at Greenbuild 2008

Last week PCA and several other industry concerns gathered in Boston for the Greenbuild International Conference & Expo. Greenbuild sets the stage for thousands of green building industry professionals to come together to learn about the latest advancements in green building design, construction, project financing, and building management.

Visitors to the PCA booth were encouraged to share their thoughts on the sustainability of concrete via video.  Several segments on topics featured sustainable attributes such as durability, energy efficiency, and recycled content.  The captured testimonials will be posted on PCA’s Concrete Thinking YouTube channel later this month.

The PCA booth acted as host to the show's Concrete Solutions Pavilion, a gathering of concrete and cement-based manufacturers and associations.  Five PCA members, CEMEX, Essroc Cement Company, Holcim (USA) Inc., Lafarge North America, and Lehigh Cement Company, participated at the show.
Contact David Shepherd
View the Concrete Thinking YouTube channel

TDF Focus of Greenbuild Press Conference

Last week, at the 2008 Greenbuild International Conference & Expo in Boston, PCA announced the findings of research on emissions from cement plants utilizing tire-derived fuel (TDF). 

Tyrone Wilson, PhD, PCA’s director of regulatory affairs, stressed that the use of TDF has no adverse effect on cement kiln emissions.  The study was conducted by Air Control Techniques, P.C., and reviewed emission data collected by PCA from 31 cement plants presently firing TDF. 

The emissions of particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, most metals, dioxin-furans, and sulfur dioxide from kilns firing TDF with conventional fuels were slightly lower than emissions measured from kilns firing only conventional fuels.  The emission levels for carbon monoxide and total hydrocarbons were slightly higher for TDF-firing versus non-TDF-firing kilns, but the differences in emissions were not significant. 
Contact Tyrone Wilson
Contact Patti Flesher

PCA, MSHA Create Safety Alliance

An alliance between PCA and the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) was formalized last week to promote a national dialogue on the safety and health of cement industry employees.

MSHA and the PCA will combine resources and expertise to jointly engage in health and safety outreach efforts. Actions resulting from this alliance include:

> Development and distribution of industry-specific health and safety information.
> Analysis of citation data to create training and education tools that will focus the industry on high priority challenges to cement worker health and safety.
> Evaluation of hazards using applied engineering techniques to improve cement plant safety and health.
> Identification of safety and health conditions that the alliance needs to direct its attention through the analysis of industry-specific surveys.
Contact Thomas Harman

Several Sustainable Leadership Awards Presented in November

PCA staff and industry representatives presented several Sustainable Leadership Awards locally this month.

As a major tenet in its ongoing commitment to green building and excellence in leadership, the PCA Sustainable Leadership Awards recognized local leaders in eight cities who have enacted policies or completed projects that promote sustainable development through the use of concrete- and cement-based products.

On November 6, Jim Niehoff, PCA’s residential director, presented an award to Brad Reed of Lubbock, Texas, at a Lubbock city council meeting.  Reed was honored for his use of insulating concrete forms (ICF) for affordable housing.

Tony McCauley, Lehigh Cement, and a member of PCA's residential committee, recognized Dennis Kilfoil of the Marion County Housing Authority in Salem, Ore., on Nov. 13 at a joint meeting of the Association of Washington Housing Authorities and Oregon Housing Authorities.  Kilfoil utilized ICF construction for an energy-efficient senior residential center.

Jan Prusinski, executive director of the Cement Council of Texas, presented an award to the City of Dallas’ Street Services Department at a city council meeting on Nov. 19.  Previously presented to the department employees by PCA President and CEO Brian McCarthy, the award applauded the city’s commitment to sustainable practices through the use of full-depth reclamation with portland cement in its street restoration program.

To learn more about the Awards and the winners, visit www.cement.org/newsroom.