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Concrete Homes Newsletter
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Concrete Homes Newsletter > 2005 > July/August
July/August 2005
Concrete Home Near O’Hare Put to the Test
Homebuyers of concrete homes are generally aware of their built-in energy
efficiency. The sound attenuating benefits of concrete homes may be less
prominent in the thoughts of a homebuyer. But for anyone considering a home
less than a mile from O’Hare International Airport, those benefits
couldn’t be more of a blessing.
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L: A 2nd story wall panel is being
placed by a crane.
R: As a section of the floor system is placed, an airplane can
be seen just over the tree on the left side of the picture. |
The DuPage Housing Authority (DHA) is currently overseeing
construction of a 2-story, precast concrete house in Bensenville, Illinois.
Arnold Germain, director of development, had wanted to build a concrete home
for years, but had to overcome various obstacles. The DHA had to acquire
land, which it did when the village of Bensenville provided a lot near O’Hare.
Next, Germain needed to find a quality method of construction. After researching
DuKane Precast’s wall system, he was satisfied with their product.
Then, he received approval from Art Donner, chairman of the DHA. Finally,
he had to get an exemption to a village ordinance precluding the use of concrete
panels for basements. Once the difficulties were resolved the project began.
Upon completion, the home will probably be rented. This will enable the
DHA and the village to better monitor heating and cooling costs. If you talk
to Gene Orrico, the homebuilder, he has a pretty good idea of the energy
savings this home will realize. “This house is going to be extremely
energy efficient. The heating and cooling bills should be next to nothing.
When I stand in the house now, and it currently has no doors installed, it’s
got to be 15 degrees cooler inside the house. And I haven’t even started
talking about the sound benefits.” There is also the possibility of
sound testing, given the home’s proximity to O’Hare. The home
is located inside the 65 DNL area. The DNL measure is the annual average
of the total noise energy that occurs at a location.
If all goes well with this project, it could have single-family
and multi-family ramifications for the DuPage Housing Authority. The
village of Bensenville seems to be embracing the project as well. “The village
trustees have all been out to see the house,” Germain said. Orrico
concurs. “I see a lot of potential. I’ve been getting good feedback
and very little resistance from the trades.”
Construction looks to be completed by September 1. Testing will take place
once the home becomes occupied, but the length of the testing is yet to be
determined.
New American (Concrete) Home Rises from the Dirt
The 2006 New American Home, the official Show Home of the National Association
of Home Builders (NAHB) is taking shape on a spectacular lakefront property
in Orlando, Florida.
For the third consecutive year, the New American Home will count on concrete
for critical elements of the home’s construction. The Florida Concrete & Products
Association (FCPA) and the Portland Cement Association (PCA), are sponsoring
the concrete products in the home, which will include 2-story insulated concrete
masonry exterior walls, as well as concrete roof tiles, fiber-cement siding,
precast concrete lintels and an acrylic textured finish with a portland cement
base coat. The 2-story insulated masonry walls will offer a high degree of
energy efficiency and superior wind resistance to Florida’s hurricanes,
while also protecting against fires and termites. The builder, Hannigan Homes,
Inc. and architectural firm, WCI Communities, plan to include a number of
other “green building” features into the house design, including
high efficiency doors and windows, tankless hot water heaters, rainwater
harvesting and water efficient landscape design.
The 9,500-square-foot home is located in the Lake Burden South development
and will be on display during the 2006 International Builders Show, January
11–14, 2006, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. It
is anticipated that public tours of the home will be held following the Builders
Show.
For more information and periodic updates, visit www.tnah.com.
Restored Colonial Village Counts on Modern Concrete Technology
On a bluff overlooking the James River in Richmond, Virginia, lies the Henricus
Historical Park, site of the 1611 “Citie of Henricus.” Sir Thomas
Dale led 350 settlers from Jamestown, the first English colony in the new
world, to find a more suitable location for a settlement than that offered
by Jamestown’s swampy terrain. It was actually in Henricus where Pocahontas
resided at Rock Hall, the home of the reverend Alexander Whitaker, and was
courted by John Rolfe. Other historically significant events at Henricus
include the growing of the first tobacco crops in North America, the first
private ownership of land, the chartering of the first university and the
founding of the first hospital, Mount Malady.
The not-for-profit Henricus Foundation has a goal of fully recreating the
1611 Citie of Henricus by 2007, the 400th anniversary of the founding of
Jamestown. With that ambitious goal in mind, Foundation members are turning
to a structural building material that is decidedly more durable than materials
available during the early 1600s—Insulating Concrete Forms (ICFs).
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L: The early stages of construction
on Rock Hall, using ICFs.
R: A finished historical building. This has not been rebuilt
yet.
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With the assistance of the Virginia Ready Mixed Concrete Advisory Council
(VRMCAC), the Foundation has selected ICFs for the exterior walls of the
reconstructed Rock Hall, as well as the village tavern and meeting hall,
known as the Ordinary. VRMCAC members are providing the labor force to stack
the ICF walls and to supervise the placing of the concrete into the forms.
Although the ICF walls will offer greater indoor comfort, wind resistance
and pest resistance, they will be invisible behind authentic 17th century
cladding—just as today’s ICF walls are hidden behind 21st century
drywall and exterior cladding. Ironically, the land on which the Henricus
Historical Park sits was owned by a ready mixed concrete company, Titan America,
until being donated to the Foundation in the 1960s.
For more information about the Henricus Park project, contact Keith Beazley
of the Virginia Ready Mixed Concrete Association at keith@vrmca.com.
Alex Car Named Residential Committee Chairman
Alex Car was recently named chairman of the PCA Residential Committee. He
succeeds Alan Kreisberg, who is now chairman of the Cement Association of
Canada (CAC).
Alex Car has been with ESSROC Cement Corp. since 2002 as Senior Vice President,
Marketing & Sales. ESSROC is the North American arm of ITALCEMENTI, one
of the leading cement producers in the world. In addition to his cement responsibilities,
he is also General Manager of AXIM, the chemical admixtures subsidiary of
ESSROC. Prior to joining the cement industry, he spent more than 20 years
in the chemical industry with Reichhold Chemical, Union Carbide, and Dow
Chemical. He last served as Vice President of Sales for Reichhold’s
Global Composites Business.
Alex received a BS in chemical engineering from McMaster University in Hamilton,
Ontario, and an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
He resides in the Bethlehem area of Pennsylvania with his wife, Lori,
and their two daughters, Danielle and Stephanie.
ICFA/NVCAC Achieves Success During Blast Demonstrations
The Insulating Concrete Form Association (ICFA) and the Northern Virginia
Concrete Advisory Council successfully demonstrated the blast-resistant properties
of ICF building systems during the Force Protection Equipment Demonstration
(FPED V) April 26–28, 2005, at Quantico Marine Corps Base in Northern
Virginia.
FPED was created in response to recent terrorism attacks and showcases commercial
off-the-shelf (COTS) force protection equipment. During FPED V, over 500
vendors demonstrated 2,400 different products and services, such as surveillance
systems, blast and ballistics mitigation products and chemical and biological
troop protective gear. FPED is sponsor by the United States Department of
Defense, United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, United States Department of
Energy and United States National Institute of Justices.
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The picture on the right shows the results of a 50
lb. TNT detonation from 10 feet away. |
During the blast demonstrations, eleven separate ICF reaction boxes,
weighing 13 tons apiece and walls measuring 8 feet tall and 6 inches thick
were subjected to explosion from 50 lbs of TNT at differing distances (3.5
feet to 10 feet) and to pressures from 300 pounds per square inch (PSI) to
over 7,000 PSI.
Joseph Lyman, Executive Director of the ICFA, said, “FPED gives the
ICF Industry the opportunity to showcase the impact-resistant properties
of ICFs in real life. The results are amazing.”
Known for decades for its impact resistant properties, expanded polystyrene
(EPS), the primary material in ICFs, has recently shown great potential as
a blast-resistant product. In each instance during six different blast demonstrations,
EPS compressed against the face of the concrete wall and reduced the pressure
of the blast.
Based on the success experienced at FPED IV and V, the Portland Cement Association
and ICFA are pursuing blast testing at a number of government funded blast
ranges, which would allow for further acceptance of ICFs. Additionally, the
Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection Standard, combined with the newest authorization
from Congress to build military housing, provides the ICF community with
a great opportunity to expand into a market well suited to ICF building systems.
“We look forward to participating in the AT/FP market and helping
to provide safe and durable buildings,” says Lyman.
To learn more about
the Force Protection Equipment Demonstration, please visit www.fped5.org.
Inaugural Concrete Technologies Tour a ‘Blast’
Kansas City hosted the CHBC’s Concrete Technologies Tour,
and the tour exceeded expectations. Over 100 attendees enjoyed an informative
two
days of tours.
On the first day, two full buses took attendees to the Hunt Martin Materials
mine and quarry, where everyone got a great view of a detonation. Next, there
was an outdoor tour of Lafarge’s cement plant. Lunch was served at
Concrete Materials Inc., a ready mix plant. Attendees witnessed a decorative
flatwork demonstration that opened a lot of eyes. The final stop on the day’s
tour was an Oldcastle masonry plant. The evening brought the banquet dinner.
Ron Jones, Greenbuilder, was the keynote speaker.
On Day 2, attendees had the opportunity to tour ACH Foam Technologies, an
expanded polystyrene plant that manufactures ICFs. Afterwards, the
group headed over to Western Forms to listen to presentations on the global
uses of removable forms.
After lunch, there were tours of one finished ICF home and another
under construction.
Then, it was on to Wall Ties & Forms, another removable form manufacturer,
to see how the various forms are manufactured and customized. The day
ended with a reception and dinner at a finished removable form home.
Attendees of the first ever Concrete Technologies Tour had this to say afterwards:
Jeremy Bertrand of NAHB: "The success of this tour solidifies the importance
of concrete home builders, manufacturers, and suppliers within the National
Association of Home Builders."
Dave Swanson of Continental Cement: “The removable forms were really
impressive.”
Rita Feinberg of NAHB: “I think everyone had a blast.”
The location and dates for next year’s tour are still being discussed.
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