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Concrete Homes Newsletter
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Concrete Homes Newsletter > 2008 > January/February
January/February 2008
The New American (Concrete) Home Ready for Show
In the exclusive Lake Nona golf course community, adjacent to the eastern
boundary of Orlando International Airport, the 2008 New American Home is
ready for its debut. For the 5th consecutive year, the home, which serves
as the official Show Home of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)
during the International Builders’ Show, is relying on concrete for
its structural elements. The exterior walls make extensive use of autoclaved
aerated concrete (AAC) blocks provided by Aercon Industries. AAC consists
of lightweight, air-entrained concrete blocks or panels that can be cut to
fit any dimension. AAC provides superior energy efficiency, resistance to
fires, termites and mold, and enhanced sound attenuation. In addition to
AAC, the New American Home has several hundred yards of poured concrete for
additional structural support. Other concrete products used in the home will
include a portland cement–based stucco finish, and concrete roof tiles
from Monier LifeTile.
Builder Charles Robertson of Robertson Homes broke ground in February 2007.
He targeted the 6,725 square foot home to be completed in late October to
allow for magazine photo shoots prior to the February 2008 International
Builders' Show. The home will be on display during the show, which runs February
13–16 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. The
home is also expected to be available for public tours for several weeks
following the show.
Concrete Pavilion to Celebrate 20 Years
The Concrete Pavilion celebrates its 20th year at the 2008 NAHB International
Builders’ Show in the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida.
Hosted by the Portland Cement Association, the Pavilion has grown to a record
13,630 square feet, featuring PCA and 32 Pavilion Partners. There are 3 new
Pavilion Partners in 2008: US Tile, the American Society of Concrete Contractors
and Concrete Homes magazine.
PCA (booth W5261) serves as the gateway for the Concrete Pavilion, with
PCA staff and promoters from around the country ready to answer your residential
concrete questions. The PCA booth will include three main attractions: an
easy-to-use touch-screen kiosk demonstrating how insulated concrete homes
can reduce energy costs; a pervious concrete pavement display showing its
benefits for stormwater management and a concrete countertop illustrating
concrete’s beauty and durability.
2nd Annual Concrete Countertop Industry Conference
a Hit
The Concrete Countertop Industry Conference (CCIC), October 25–27,
2007 at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, drew
over 400 people from throughout the United States, Canada and as far away
as Australia.
Conference highlights included:
• Eleven in-depth seminars, including one on design by Fu-Tung Cheng,
another on mix design by Jeff Girard and a panel discussion featuring Buddy
Rhodes.
•
Fun times at a welcome reception with catered food, bar and a live
band sponsored by Concrete Network.
•
Crowds gathering around hands-on demos by enCOUNTER, Buddy Rhodes,
Concrete Products, LifeTime Floors “Quicktops,” PreiTech Form
Systems and Concrete Countertop Specialties.
•
Wildly popular Show & Tell sessions by attendees, featuring 15-minute
presentations on specific projects such as a fiber optic bar, shower and
fireplace.
•
A 40,000 square foot exhibit hall with everything concrete countertop
professionals need: mixes, pigments, admixtures, forming systems, diamond
grinding tools, sealers and more.
•
Multiple networking opportunities including lunch roundtables and
speed networking sessions.
Lane Mangum of The Concrete Countertop Institute, organizer of the event,
said, “I couldn’t believe how many attendees kept coming up
to me and saying thank you for a great conference. This year there was
a real feeling of camaraderie. Attendees saw people they had met last year,
as well as met new people, and there’s already a sense of excitement
about next year.”
The third annual Concrete Countertop Industry Conference is planned for
August 21–23, 2008, at the Sacramento Convention Center in Sacramento,
California. Mangum explains, “Next year we’re making a big
leap to the West Coast, near the birthplace of concrete countertops. I
was very impressed with the city of Sacramento and the convention center
during my site evaluation visit. The city makes you want to just walk around
and explore, and we’re also going to plan excursions and spouse activities
so that attendees can make this not just an essential business trip but
also a vacation.”
For more information about the 2008 Concrete Countertop Industry Conference,
as well as photos of the 2007 event, please click
here.
Thanks to the CCI for this article.
ICFA Excellence Awards Announced
The Insulating Concrete Form Association held the second annual ICFA
Excellence Awards September 25, 2007, in conjunction with ICFA's Annual
Meeting and Expo, recognizing the best ICF projects throughout North America.
Commercial buildings and homes that were completed in 2006 and that met
the program's guidelines were eligible for awards. Each entry was judged
on its success in meeting requirements set forth in each category.
ICFA Large & Grand Commercial Award Winner
Megaplex 20 at The District
Located in South Jordan, Utah, this is one of the largest ICF projects ever
built, with a wall area of 190,000 square feet (35,000 blocks) in heights
of 36 feet and 50 feet above grade. IMS Masonry used Reward ICFs to build
this project, and FFKR Architects designed it. The theatre complex has a
main floor area of 144,500 square feet, equivalent to 2.5 NFL-sized football
fields.
ICFA Large & Grand Residential Award Winner
Eberhard Residence
The Eberhard Residence in Redmond, Oregon, was an amazing design considering
the terrain involved. The home, constructed by PeterBuilt Homes, is Energy
Star rated, with a stucco finish over Logix ICF with Rouge River stone accent.
It has a solar assisted/radiant floor heating system, which demonstrates
how much you can accomplish when you build with ICFs. The concrete was environmentally
friendly, with 35% fly-ash used in the mix. The designer, Peter B. Coughlin,
used a program called Chief Architect 10.8. Its 3-D walk-thru and renderings
allowed the designer to tweak the design to fit the lot and accommodate the
owner’s square footage needs.
ICFA Small Residential Award Winner
Marchesiello Residence
Access to the home begins with a 550 foot trip up a winding driveway. All
exterior walls and interior garage walls were built with Arxx ICFs. Insulation
in the attic has an R value of at least 38. The house has Alamo-inspired
Mission styled stucco with a traditional Eagle Brand tile roof. The project
is located in La Grange, California, and Toledo Design & Development
was the architect with Fred Diba Engineering as a partner.
ICFA Small Commercial Award Winner
Mills Quarter Properties
This Bend, Oregon, project featured great modern design and use of ICFs
for the contemporary appeal. The structure has 25 units, 3- and 4-story homes,
many with elevators and roof top decks. The units have unique insulating
capability with a long lasting structural component. This project earned
the 2006 Tour of Homes, “Green Building Award.” Arxx partnered
with GGL and 4240 for architectural and design assistance, and Ang Engineering
for engineering guidance.
ICFA Sustainability Award Winner
E2 City Homes
Designed by The Urban Project, this is a great use of sustainable methods
and products in a multi-family design, incorporating various elements: geothermal
heat pump (uses no fossil fuel, uses the earth for heating and cooling),
insulated concrete poured walls with foam soybean-based insulation and Energy
Star–rated windows and doors. Cemstone supplied the Reward ICFs for
this Minneapolis project.
ICFA International Award Winner
Ikarashi Kensetsu-Kogyo
Located in Niigata, Japan, Natabe Takumi was the engineer and Takahashi
Osamu the architect/designer on this complex project that utilized the flexibility
of ICFs. Due to the residential setting, much attention was paid to soundproofing.
IntegraSpec products use a knock-down system, a method that gives more flexibility
to execution.
The ICFA Excellence Awards are a great way to show the design community,
construction industry and public-at-large what ICFs have to offer as a building
system of choice. Participation in the awards was at an all-time high, and
the judges were faced with many high-quality ICF projects.
The judges for the program were selected based on their own unique experience
with ICFs and their professional experience in the construction industry.
They include:
• Kate Driscoll – Senior Manager of the Concrete Home Building
Council of NAHB
•
Marshall Wallman – Design Basics, Inc.
•
Joe Nasvik – Senior Editor, Hanley-Wood
ICFA hopes that next year’s participation exceeds what the industry
has managed to accomplish to date. To learn more about the ICFA Excellence
Awards and see a full listing of pictures and information, please click
here.
Thanks to the ICFA for this article.
Understanding ICFs and Building Science Seminar at WOC
The ICF Industry has the opportunity to be a cornerstone for the whole house,
sustainable building solution. Energy Star, Net-Zero, Green Building—call
it what you may—ICFs can be the fundamental component that puts these
goals within reach. Designed with good building science, ICF construction
can offer a level of energy savings, comfort and durability afforded by only
a handful of homes today. It’s time to look beyond the wall and understand
how ICFs fit into the total picture.
Building science looks at the relationship of all building parts in relation
to three basic forces—air, moisture and energy. The wrong combination
of these forces can generate “failures” such as heat loss, moisture
damage or rot. ICFs effectively block these forces, which accounts for the
thermal value and durability of ICFs. But how do these forces play out in
the rest of the building? An effective thermal envelope is only as good as
its weakest link. Detailing of air barrier and insulation is critical. HVAC,
air quality and air balancing decisions will be influenced by the “ICF
Effect.” Moisture management remains important for window and roof
components; the consequences of tight construction can affect the humidity
levels inside a building. Sound and light are issues of comfort, as well
as energy savings.
Designing based on building science is a paradigm shift for most builders.
It places value on the very features and benefits of ICF construction, while
at the same time, highlighting the need to integrate ICFs fully into the
whole building system. It’s time. Take the next step and join us in
Vegas.
• WE-141 Building Science for ICF Housing
Wednesday, January 23, 2008, 8:00 a.m.–9:30 a.m.
Presenter: Vera Novak, Technical Services Manager, ICFA
Thanks to the ICFA for this article.
Train the Trainer Course Returns to World of Concrete
For the fifth year in a row, the Concrete Home Building Council will
host the National Association of Home Builder's “Train the Trainer” class
at World of Concrete on Monday, January 21, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00
p.m. in Room S228. With such a successful showing in 2007, the
CHBC is eager
to build on that momentum in its annual event
for WOC attendees.
NAHB's Train the Trainer class is a prerequisite for any individual
interested in becoming an NAHB certified instructor. With ten CHBC
concrete classes available and the growing popularity of residential
concrete construction, nationally certified instructors are in
high demand.
During this 8-hour Train the Trainer class, attendees learn how
to prepare and present adult education sessions while having a
chance to practice presentation skills in the classroom with instructor
feedback and guidance.
Because of the intensive training involved, this course is limited
to only ten attendees—first come, first served. To sign up,
please click
here.
CHBC to Raffle Most Sought-After Toy
Comfortable, durable, secure, cost-efficient and environmentally
friendly—concrete delivers what today’s homeowners
want. Interested in learning more? Stop by the Concrete Home
Building Council booth at World of Concrete and enter to win
a Nintendo Wii. It’s one of the hottest game and entertainment
systems in the country!
But don’t just enter to win a Nintendo Wii. The CHBC has
various opportunities for members to get involved, learn, and
network with others in the residential industry. Join the CHBC
at one or more of our World of Concrete events:
- NAHB’s Train the Trainer Class
Monday, January 21, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
- Insulating Concrete Forms Installation Class
Thursday, January 24, 8:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
- New in 2008 – Join the CHBC in the Decorative Concrete
Area
The CHBC is proud to be an education sponsor for 2008, as WOC's
program is the most in-depth in the industry, featuring more
than 150 educational sessions in targeted tracks including NAHB’s
Insulating Concrete Forms Installation Class on Thursday, January
24.
Concrete can do that—and more. Find out when you stop
by the CHBC booth (S12352).
Thanks to the CHBC for this article.
CHBC to Host Free Luncheon at Builders' Show
The residential concrete industry is booming—advances
in concrete have made it one of the fastest growing sectors of
the industry. Concrete is cost-effective and green. It’s
efficient, versatile and environmentally friendly. It’s
also something your clients want.
Learn more at the:
‘Connect with Concrete’ Luncheon
Friday, February 15, 2008
International Builders’ Show
W108A – Level 1: Noon–2:00 p.m.
Join the Concrete Home Building Council for lunch on us at the
International Builders’ Show to learn about the variety
of ways using concrete can make your homes stand out from the
crowd and help your business grow.
Builders, manufacturers and industry partners are welcome to
join this first annual event dedicated to the residential concrete
home building industry at the nation’s largest builder
show. First come, first served.
To RSVP, please click
here.
Thanks to the CHBC for this article.
Upcoming Events
- World of Concrete, Las
Vegas, Nevada, January 21-25, 2008 More
- Manufactured Concrete Products Expo, Denver, Colorado, February 7-9,
2008 More
- ICPI Annual Meeting, Denver, Colorado, February 9-11, 2008 More
- International Builders' Show, Orlando, Florida, February 13-16, 2008 More
- Hardscape North America, Nashville, Tennessee, February 28-March 1, 2008 More
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