Renovation and expansion of Tessa’s Restaurant, Naperville, Ill., presented the owners with both logistic and aesthetic challenges. A precast concrete system met the need for quick and efficient construction and a seamless merger of old and new materials.

The 100-year-old brick building was located in a bustling downtown area with no available staging area.  In addition, construction would require the closing of an alley shared with several other companies.  Moreover, any addition would need to fit in with buildings current masonry façade.

A precast concrete system met all these concerns. The project retained the 1,700 square-foot, two-story structure while adding a three-story, 7,100- square-foot space to the back.  Precast manufacturing and erection duration was less than three weeks. Erection of the 55 precast pieces took only nine days, allowing for quick reopening of the alley. The exterior panels were cast with a formliner that replicated the look of weathered brick and the new and old sections were painted to match, allowing for a seamless look.

Tessa’s recently received a 2007 award for Excellence in Architectural and Engineering Design by the Precast Concrete Institute for the Best Commerical Renovation.  The project architect was Oppermann Architects, the engineering firm, R. I. Johnson & Associates, the general contractor, Sequoia General Contracting Corp., and the precast supplier, Dukane Precast, Inc.

October PPI: Steel Continues Slide While
Asphalt Edges Upward

Steel prices fell for the fourth straight month to post a 1.8% decline from September to October, according to the October Producer Price Index (PPI).

Over the same period, asphalt prices increased 0.3%, concrete decreased 0.2%, and lumber declined 2.6%.

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

PCA Releases 2007 Summary
Report on Sustainable Manufacturing

PCA has issued the 2007 edition of the U.S. cement industry Report on Sustainable Manufacturing. This summary report details an impressive record of environmental, health, and safety performance within the industry that PCA first benchmarked in 2004 through its Cement Manufacturing Sustainability Program.

The report is organized under six different areas:

• Cement, Concrete, and Voluntary Goals
• Sustainable Practices
• Environmental Performance
• Community Involvement
• Workplace Health and Safety
• Sustainable Concrete Construction

In keeping with the industry's commitment to sustainable operations and environmental stewardship, the report is available only as a Web-based document.
View the report
Contact Andy O'Hare

Concrete Feels Housing Pinch

Concrete home market share fell as the broader housing market took a hit in 2006. The overall U.S. concrete home market share dropped to 14.4%, down 3.5% from 2005. This is the first decline since PCA started tracking residential above-grade market share in 1993.

The concrete masonry's market share declined 3.3%, while ICFs took a step down to 4.5% from the previous year’s level of 4.7%. Autoclaved aerated concrete and the “other” category of precast, removable forms, etc., remained unchanged at 0.1% and 2.0%, respectively.

A large percentage of the decline may be attributable to a 31% drop in housing starts in Florida where the vast majority of new homes are built with concrete.

Although the above-grade wall market slumped, the amount of cement per new home increased in 2006. An average of 19.4 tons per dwelling represented a 0.3 increase in tonnage compared to 2005. Fiber-cement siding, concrete roof tile, stucco, concrete floors, and pavers are some of the products that raised the national metric.
Contact Jim Niehoff
Contact Craig Schulz

Miami Hosts 50th Cement Industry Technical Conference

The 50th IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Industry Technical Conference is scheduled for May 18-22, 2008, at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa near, Miami, Fla.

The conference is a mix of technical papers, exhibits, educational sessions, and a plant tour. This year's program features a tour of Titan America's Pennsuco plant.

PCA will also present its 2008 safety awards at a lunch on May 21.
More information or to register

Concrete Interests Team Up at 'Speed Dating for Architects'

David Shepherd, PCA’s director of sustainable development, and Dan Huffman, director of national resources for the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, partnered for the Architecture Network Forum on November 15-18.  The Forum, held in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., featured five guest speakers including the president-elect of the American Institute of Architects and Scot Horst, president of 7Group and chairman of the USGBC’s LEED Steering Committee

Nicknamed “speed dating for architects,” the Forum allowed PCA to conduct thirteen 30-minute face-to-face meetings with senior managers from some of the largest architecture firms in the U.S.  These included Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, Kohn Pedersen and Fox Associates, Gensler, HOK, and Leo A Daly.  The collective companies have more than 6,000 employees and in excess of 200 million square feet of work underway in North America.   Followup meetings with individual offices are being scheduled.
Contact David Shepherd

Call for Entries:  Atlantic Concrete Awards Competition:  The Atlantic chapter of the American Concrete Institute is now accepting entries for the 11th Atlantic Concrete Awards Competition. The program recognizes project teams in the Atlantic Providences of Canada whose design and construction represents the best in concept, originality, and application of concrete.  Structures built with pre-cast, cast-in-place, concrete masonry and other concrete products are eligible.  All projects must have been completed in the Atlantic, Canada within 36 months of the submission closing date.  Entries are due December 20, 2007.
View Submission Requirements (PDF)

Los Angeles Gives Sustainable Developers Green Light:  The Planning Commission of Los Angeles recently approved some of most ambitious green building rules in the country.  According to the Los Angeles Times, the new rules require large new developments to be 15% more energy efficient in an effort to reduce the city's emissions of greenhouse gases.  Additional regulations address water use restrictions. Under the new ordinance, buildings with more than 50 units and 50,000 square feet will be required to meet the national standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council. Developers seeking LEED Silver certification receive incentives in expediting the approval process. More than 50 private buildings in Los Angeles are being designed or constructed to LEED standards. The measure is expected to come before the City Council early next year.
Contact Attila Beres

Third “Emerging Trends in Concrete” Seminar Held:  More than 55 design and construction professionals attended “Emerging Trends in Concrete Construction ’07” in Long Beach, Calif., on November 17. The program, sponsored by the California-Nevada Cement Association, California Construction and Industrial Materials Association, Precast/Prestressed Concrete Manufacturers Association of California and Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute, featured four expert presenters of diverse fields of concrete ranging from research, design and construction.  The half-a-day seminar, now in its third year, updates engineers and contractors about the latest advances in concrete building construction.  Attendees also received complimentary PCA and CRSI publications.
Contact Attila Beres

Mass Concrete for Buildings and Bridges: Mass concrete has been historically associated with large structures such as dams and other large volume placements. However, due to the increasingly common use of fast-track construction practices and high-performance concretes with high cementitious contents, mass concrete issues are being experienced in typical bridge and building placements. This document provides practical guidance to aid in understanding mass concrete, how to manage concrete temperatures, and prevent or minimize temperature-related cracking (EB547; $30.00, less discount; order by November 30, 2007, for $22.50, less disount).
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Effects of Substances on Concrete and Guide to Protective Treatment: Improve concrete’s durability by knowing what chemicals attack it and what you can do to protect it. Nearly 250 substances (salts, acids, etc.) are listed along with a description of their effects on concrete and recommended protective treatments (IS001; $20.00, less discount).
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Effects of Cement Kiln Dust (CKD) Chemistry and Content on Properties of Controlled Low-Strength Materials (CLSM): Using a constant weight of cementitious material—cement kiln dust  and fly ash—in varying proportions, controlled low-strength materials exhibited compressive strengths ranging from 0.03 MPa to 10.75 MPa (4 psi to 1560 psi) at 90 days. (SN2816; no charge; PDF only)
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Assessing the Deicer Salt Scaling Resistance of Concrete Containing Supplementary Cementing Materials: Findings indicate that the deicer salt scaling test is very sensitive to temperature profiles, type of surface, and level of cement replacement. The effect of the curing method on the scaling resistance varies with the composition of the mixture, i.e., the type and the amount of SCM. In particular, the use of a curing compound at the end of bleeding improves the scaling resistance of SCM concrete, while the opposite effect occurs with the reference concrete that contains silica fume (SN2981; no charge; PDF only).
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T. C. Powers, 1900–1997: Bibliography: Treval Clifford (T.C.) Powers served in the Research department of PCA for 35 years until his  retirement in 1965. A prolific researcher and writer, he was regarded as one of the foremost authorities on the structure and properties of portland cement pastes and concrete. The 200 references in this annotated bibliography are listed chronologically, and include Powers’ journal and proceedings papers, reports, book chapters, published discussions on others’ research, and unpublished writings (LB33; no charge; PDF only).
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Fiber-Reinforced Cementitious Composites: The use of fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) has grown steadily during the last 40 years, and extensive work has been done in recent years to optimize its properties, utilize new fiber types, and create innovative surface treatments. The first part of the book addresses the mechanics of fiber reinforced brittle matrices and the implications for cementitious systems. The second section describes the various types of fiber-cement composites, their production, mechanical and physical properties, durability, and applications (LT306; $175.00, no discounts).
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First Quarter 2007 Survey of Portland Cement Consumption by User Group: PCA’s Market Research department conducted a survey of portland cement consumption by user group. Sixteen markets were examined. Cement company respondents provided the portland cement tonnage for the following markets: Brick & Block, Fiber Cement Siding, Concrete Pipe,  Concrete Railroad Tie, Concrete Roof Tile, Oil & Gas Well Drilling, Packaged Concrete Products, Precast, RCC-Paving, RCC-Water Resources, Ready-Mixed Concrete, SC-Paving, SC-Water Resources, Streets & Highways Contractors, Waste Solidification & Stabilization, All Other Manufacturers and Contractors (MR120; $1,000; PDF only; free to members)
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Long-Term Performance of Full-Depth Reclamation With Portland Cement: Full-depth reclamation (FDR) with cement is a procedure where failed asphalt pavements are pulverized and reclaimed, using cement to stabilize the recycled materials and create a new pavement base. This research synopsis presents the abbreviated findings of an extensive investigation into the design, construction, testing, and long-term performance of failed flexible pavements rehabilitated through FDR using portland cement. Field performance of more than 75 projects in eight states was evaluated. The average project age was 9 years; the oldest was 26 years. Overall, the performance of the FDR with cement projects has been excellent.

Research Synopsis: (IS689; $10.00 for a pack of 25 printed copies, no discount; PDF is free.
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Full Report: SR016; $20.00, less discount
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The Road Recycled – 2007: Reprint of an advertising supplement  appearing in the November 2007 issue of McGraw-Hill Construction Regional Publications discusses the applications, benefits, design, construction, testing, performance, and sustainability of full-depth reclamation (FDR) using cement (RP443; no charge; PDF and printed copies available).
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CQA Methodologies for In-Situ S/S at Former Manufactured Gas Plants: In-situ stabilization/solidification treatment is increasingly used at sites impacted by coal tars generated by manufactured gas plant operations. As the number of these types of projects increases, there is a need to monitor performance in the field to ensure that project objectives are met and work is conducted in accordance with contract requirements. This four-page publication summarizes a comprehensive construction quality assurance (CQA) program—from bench-scale to full-scale testing—used at a former manufactured gas plant site (SR855; $15.00 for a pack of 25 printed copies; PDF is free).
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