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Concrete Homes Newsletter
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Concrete Homes Newsletter > 2005 > May/June
May/June 2005
Not An Everyday Basement
There are plenty of complex basement pours, but not many
come along that demand this type of flexibility. This 14,760 sq. ft.
residential home in Grand Blanc, Mich., features walls which are 12
ft. tall and 12 in. thick,
with 12 in.center
rebar placed both vertically and horizontally. Even more impressive
is 580 linear ft. of 12 ft.x 12 in. wall over 250 ft. of trench footing
with multiple angles.
In the 12 ft. tall wall, there are three radius walls and
three enclosed porches.
There are three more radii (one in almost a complete circle) in
the trench footings. Amazingly, it only took ten days for a seven-man
crew to set and pour this basement.
For
more information about this project, please contact Karl,
Russell or Brandon at R & R Poured Walls at (810) 266-6000.
Award Winning Masonry Home
Situated in Rustic Canyon, one of the most serene areas in Los Angeles,
the 4,000 sq ft residence of Ward Luu offers a view of the
canyon and gently sloping hillsides to the east. But that's only
a small part of the reason why it won the National Concrete Masonry Association's
Residential Award of Excellence. The house is effectively divided into
two separate but connected areas: a public pavilion with the kitchen,
living room, and dining areas; and a private pavilion containing the
bedrooms. Filtering
in the landscape, the site introduces a skewed procession that leads
up to the pavilions and looks beyond to the additional structures.
A glass-enclosed walkway bridges the two masses, taking optimal advantage
of the location and surrounding landscapes. A third mass includes a double
cantilevered guesthouse resting on top of a studio, accentuating the breezeway
and intimate arrival area. Materials of burnished concrete block, galvanized
steel paneling, and glass complement the openness of the design and integration
of the object-like forms on the site. Working with the landscape into one
pictorial image, the simple lap pool lines the back of the property.
Designers gave special attention to selecting the block that would
become the defining motif in the home, considering a variety of textures
and colors. They ultimately selected a custom fabricated block of white
cement with burnished faces for its unique beauty and
its ability to play off
the rustic nature of the site. To save cost, they burnished only the
exposed face of the block. Scaled drawings of each block
wall were color-coded and keyed to determine quantity and orientation
of the burnished faces.
The Ward Luu Residence uses concrete block as functional and design elements
throughout the home. The block anchors the house, providing mass as
the buildings emerge from the slope and a counterbalance to the cantilevered
pavilions
resting on top. On the exterior, the concrete block also serves as
a visual contrast to the steel cladding and landscaping. The motif
is continued through
the interior with the blocks providing a warm balance between the dark-stained
wood floors and the white plaster walls and ceiling. In addition, block
highlights the connection between indoors and outdoors by continuing
exterior walls
and structural elements inside the home.
The project involved the demolition and replacement of an existing
two-story home. The original home’s site was located on an upper
plateau of the lot and was vigilantly poised to oversee views into
adjacent backyards. Designers developed a new strategy which instead
offered greater privacy and separation from neighboring lots by utilizing
the opportunities
of the site’s natural topography and foliage. By shifting the new home
forward and away from neighboring yards, additional stories of the
new home could be claimed by exploiting the lot’s section and building
within the hillside. Additionally, by keeping the home below tree level,
the home’s
focus is more introverted, a retreat within a lush hillside garden.
David Brems, AIA, who served as a juror selecting the Ward Luu Residence
for
the Award of Excellence commented, “This is a great residence design!
Simple, modern, very thoughtful. The separation of public, private
and office/studio is well executed. The masonry anchors the design
and plays well with the glass. The burnished, white concrete masonry
units add elegance to the design. This is my favorite project!” J.
Bert Smith, P.E., who also served as a juror said, “Concrete block
was used effectively as functional and design elements to create
an exceptional house that
fits well within the landscape.”
Thanks to NCMA for this story.
Nebraska University Builds Precast Concrete House
A team working with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has created a housing
system featuring three key precast concrete components. The housing
units feature a patented type of precast concrete insulated sandwich wall
panel,
precast concrete floor joists and a precast concrete roof beam.
"The NU Concrete House has the potential to be the residence of the
future," says Maher Tadros, the Charles Vrankek distinguished professor
in the school's civil engineering department. Tadros worked in conjunction
with Omaha-based Enterprise Precast Concrete and general contractor
TFF Inc., to design the duplex housing facility.
Both homes in the duplex have been sold.
Thanks to PCI for this story.
Sustainable Texas Community Counts on Concrete
On the west side of Fort Worth, Texas, on the site of the former Shady Oaks
Ranch, a unique community is taking shape. The Leonard Oaks development
embraces the development principles of “New Urbanism,” mixing
residential areas with ample public gathering spots and easy pedestrian
access to shopping and employment centers. Once complete, residents
should be able to go to
their workplace, shop for groceries, visit a restaurant, and drop off
their laundry – all without ever getting into their car. Developer
Joe Howell and builder Tom Hughes have also embraced the growing “green
building” movement.
The homes will feature a variety of innovative products that offer greater
energy efficiency, disaster-resistance and overall sustainability.
Insulating concrete forms will be used
for all of the interior
and exterior load-bearing structural walls, as well as the “party"
walls between
units. The remaining interior partition walls will be framed with steel
studs. The exterior finish will utilize a combination of brick and
cast stone. Other
sustainable and environmentally friendly aspects of the Leonard Oaks
community include landscaped pedestrian trails, rooftop gardens and
tankless water
heaters. Residents will enjoy views of 200-year old oak trees, downtown
Fort Worth and the Shady Oaks golf course from their balconies and
the rooftop gardens.
The first phase of the development consists of
three-story town homes, ranging from 1,600 to
3,000 sq ft. Leonard Oaks, which will eventually
encompass 135 town-home units, is the first in a series of five
villages planned by the development
team.
For
more
information about Leonard Oaks, call (817) 801-9500.
More Economic Benefits for Energy Efficient Concrete Homes
Many homeowners are selecting insulating concrete forms (ICFs) and other
concrete & foam wall systems for their new homes, due largely to their
superior energy efficiency. However, most may not realize that there are
additional financial benefits available beyond saving money on their utility
bills and homeowners insurance.
A number of mortgage lenders are now offering Energy Efficient Mortgages
(EEMs) to clients who are purchasing a home or retrofitting an existing home
to meet certain energy efficiency guidelines. An EEM takes the expected lower
energy bills into account when determining the available loan amount and
debt-to-income ratio. In most cases the homeowner can borrow a greater amount
of money with an EEM than with a traditional construction loan, and will
even receive an equity credit of up to 5% of the homes initial appraised
value. This additional value is a reward to the homeowner designed to offset
the added cost associated with building a more efficient home.
Energy Efficient Mortgages are offered by several mortgage lenders through
Fannie Mae, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and the Veterans Administration
(VA). Once a homeowner has been pre-qualified for a mortgage, the next step
is to perform a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) audit on the home. The report
generated by this audit will recommend energy efficient upgrades for the
home, the estimated savings in monthly operating costs and the payback period
of the energy upgrades. The process from start to finish doesn’t take
any longer than traditional financing, but adds a significant amount to the
home’s appraised value.
Although several mortgage lenders now offer EEMs, it can often be a frustrating
experience for a homeowner to find someone within the company that
knows the particulars about the program and how to apply for these
types of mortgages.
One mortgage lender that is educated about concrete homes and that
has taken a proactive stance in heavily promoting EEMs is Indigo Financial
Group, based
in Lansing, Mich. Indigo currently offers mortgages in 37 states and
is a registered partner of the government-backed Energy Star program,
which serves
to educate the public and the homebuilding community about energy efficient
technologies. In addition to doing EEMs for existing home retrofits,
the company also processes EEMs on construction loans that are geared
towards energy-efficient builders.
To learn more about Indigo Financial Group
and
the EEMs they offer, visit www.energystarloans.com.
ICFA Spring Meeting and Expo Coming to Denver
Join the Insulating Concrete Form Association and its members in Denver,
Colorado at the Hyatt Regency Tech Center, May 16-18, 2005 as it meets
for its Annual Spring Meeting and Expo.
The meeting is filled with exciting sessions, including:
- "The Magic of Exceptional Customer Service" - Doug Lipp, former
head of training at Disney Studio's Walt Disney University
- "Reaching the Home Builder" - Dawn Faull, Manager, National
Association of Home Builders Concrete Home Building Council
- "Promoting ICFs in the Commercial Market" - Dan Huffman, National
Resource Director, National Ready-Mixed Concrete Association
- "Profiting from Commercial Building"
- and much, much more!
ICFA is also expanding the limits of its expo by holding demonstrations
of the latest and most used products in the ICF industry. From acrylic finishes
to steel floor joists, come to the ICFA Expo to see the hottest products.
ICFA realizes that networking is an important part of any industry meeting
and has several events planned to help you meet and learn from your
peers, including an exciting night of baseball. Join in the fun as
we watch the
San Francisco Giants take on the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.
Learn more by visiting www.forms.org. Thanks to the ICFA Informer for this article.
Concrete Plant Tour is Goin' to Kansas City
Discover just how green concrete can be at The Concrete Technologies Tour,
June 26-28 in Kansas City, Mo. The first educational event of
its kind, the tour will provide attendees with a superior understanding
of the concrete
construction market through hands-on experiences.
The tour
will provide:
- A broad view of the regional differences in production and
building trends
of concrete
- A working knowledge of all types of cement-based materials
- An understanding of how to implement the most up-to-date
industry
trends into your business.
For more information, please click
here.
Inaugural Univ. of Housing ICF Course to Take Place in Richmond
This full-day course provides the traditional homebuilder with the information
needed to evaluate and start using ICFs. It covers the advantages and costs
of ICF construction, the components and materials used, design and
planning considerations, the logistics of ICF construction and important
business and marketing considerations. This course was developed by
the Concrete Home Building Council and the Building Systems Council
of the National Association of Home Builders.
The course, which will take place on Wed., May 25, will be held at the Sheraton
Richmond West Hotel in beautiful Richmond, VA.
For more information, please contact the HBA of Richmond at (804) 282-0400.
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