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Concrete Home > Concrete Homes Newsletter > 2009 > January/February

January/February 2009

• PCA to Host Concrete Pavilion at International Builders' Show
• Concrete NextGen Home is Stronger, Greener, and Smarter
• Concrete Thinkers Revealed at Greenbuild 2008
• Concrete Homes Stand up to Hurricane Ike
• Brownstones Win Gold with ICFs
• International Builders' Show Events
• World of Concrete Events
• Upcoming Events
• Tools of Our Trade
  -CD044
  

PCA to Host Concrete Pavilion at International Builders' Show

For the 21st year, PCA will host the Concrete Pavilion at the International Builders' Show, January 20-23 in Las Vegas. The Pavilion provides a one-stop-shop for show attendees to learn more about the benefits of concrete home building systems and products.  Located on the main aisle of the North Hall, the 24 Pavilion Partners will enjoy a prime spot for foot traffic. Click here to see the larger map of the Pavilion.

The PCA booth (N2342) will feature a pervious display so attendees can get a first-hand look at this environmentally innovative product. There will also be an easy-to-use touch screen kiosk that demonstrates how concrete walls save energy over conventional wood framing. Users select a house type, concrete wall system, and area of the country. A results screen shows typical savings in electricity and natural gas usage, and also provides heating and cooling requirements. 

In addition, through Green Quest, attendees will discover the many sustainable and economic benefits of masonry, precast, brick, ICFs, cast-in-place concrete and manufactured stone. Prizes will be awarded daily.  The Green Quest form was published in the Official Guide to the Concrete Pavilion, located inside the January issue of Concrete Homes Magazine, and is also available online for downloading. There will also be forms available in the PCA booth.

PCA and Concrete Homes Magazine have also paired together to create a Pavilion website, which features the Pavilion map, information about the Pavilion Partners, and the Green Quest form.

For more information about this year's show, or to learn more about how to be a part of the 2010 Concrete Pavilion, please contact Mike Collignon by email at mcollignon@cement.org or by phone at (847) 972-9068.

Concrete NextGen Home is Stonger, Greener, Smarter

There are very few, if any, construction materials that offer concrete's wide range of sustainable and comprehensive environmental benefits, as illustrated by the latest NextGen Demonstration Home in Las Vegas. 

Concrete products and applications contributed to a home that is stronger, greener, and smarter.

Although one of the bigger show homes at 5,200 square feet, it is expected to be 95 percent more efficient than today's standard home.  Much of this efficiency is a direct result of the use of insulated concrete forms (ICFs) to frame the exterior walls.

An interior plaster finish applied directly to the ICF walls provides additional thermal protection and eliminates the need to use drywall.  Exterior walls were also coated with portland cement stucco.

The energy savings is just one benefit ICFs provided the NextGen project.  Concrete's natural resistance to fire and its strength against earthquakes provided the attributes necessary to certify the house through the Institute for Business & Home Safety's Fortified...for safer living program.  A Fortified home includes building options that protect the home against extreme weather events mostly likely to occur in the region.  The Las Vegas home was strengthened to withstand fire and earthquakes.

Additionally, the home's driveway is paved with pervious concrete pavers that allow rainwater to filter through and re-charge the ground water supply. 

The home is open for viewing at the International Builders' Show, January 20-23, and World of Concrete, February 3-6.

Concrete Thinkers Revealed at Greenbuild 2008

In November, PCA and several other industry leaders gathered in Boston for the Greenbuild International Conference & Expo. The PCA booth acted as host to the show's Concrete Solutions Pavilion, a gathering of concrete and cement-based manufacturers and associations.

Building professionals visiting the PCA booth discussed the sustainable benefits of concrete, including conversations on durability, energy efficiency, and recycled content. Several of these discussions were captured on video and have been uploaded to the Concrete Thinking channel on YouTube. To view the channel, please visit www.youtube.com/concretethinking.

Concrete Homes Stand Up to Hurricane Ike

When Hurricane Ike threatened the Texas Gulf Coast on September 12, 2008, local officials issued mandatory evacuation orders due to the expected 110 MPH winds and up to 20 foot storm surge. The storm landed as a category 2 hurricane, only missing the category 3 mark by a few MPH of wind speed.

Damage ranged from Victoria, Tex., to well into Louisiana. Some areas of Galveston Island, Bolivar, and areas along Trinity and Galveston Bay saw near total destruction.  Most of the images of the debris have one thing in common: piles of lumber that were once people's homes.

Of the houses that remained standing, several were concrete houses.  Two of the houses, located in Beach City and Santa Fe, were built using ICF wall systems.  Built of concrete and insulating concrete forms (ICFs) from Reward Wall Systems, Inc., the exterior walls are strong, energy efficient, and provide a safe and comfortable envelope. One of the homes is located on upper Trinity Bay and the other is only 20 miles from the Texas Gulf Coast.  Both were directly in the path of the worst hurricane winds and rains.

The owners of the Sante Fe home (built in 2007) chose to remain in their house to weather the storm, instead of evacuating.  A full-house generator provided electricity and powered the water well and septic system.  Knowing the the potential for a hurricane eventually, the owners had installed storm- and impact-resistant windows.  The family was safe throughout the storm, and the only damage taken was the loss of two shingle tabs on the roof.

The Beach City home was under construction at the time of the hurricane.  ICF walls, roof decking, and an outdoor deck were installed.  The builder feared the worst when Ike hit, fearing he would be set back in the construction process, or possibly even have to start all over.  However, the only damage incurred was the loss of construction time during the storm; the concrete house was unscathed by the storm.

For more information on these homes, or Reward Wall Systems, please contact Scot Stafford at Leading Edge Building Products, LLC by visiting the website www.leadingedgebp.com, emailing staffordsj@leadingedgebp.com, or calling (832) 474-7468. You may also contact the ICF installer directly, Matt Zetlmeisl of ICF Constructors, LLC. For more information, please visit www.icfconstructors.com. 

Thanks to the Leading Edge Building Products, LLC. for this article.

Brownstones Win Gold with ICFs

Insulating concrete forms provided a winning system for The Brownstones at Maywood Park in Oklahoma City.

The 2008 Gold winner in the Insulating Concrete Form Association's Excellence Awards, these row houses were designed around the ICF system to allow for maximum clear spans and the ability to "clip on" balconies and bay windows for a wide range of custom designs and interior planning.  In addition to the ICFA Award, The Brownstones at Maywood Park were also awarded Project of the Year: Multi-Family from Masonry Construction Online.

Built into the design was a geothermal system, passive shading, and active ventilation, which leveraged the strengths of ICFs to make these homes remarkably energy efficient. Efforts were made to include additional green building elements such as low maintenance, locally available materials, building orientation to maximize solar, pedestrian-friendly lighting, and access to public transportation.

The developer promoted not only the energy efficiency of ICFs, but also the acoustical qualities and the protection from tornadoes. These were important features, as the townhouses are located only a few blocks away from the central rail line and are right in the middle of "Tornado Alley".

The houses were designed by Anthony McDermid, TAP Architecture, and used BuildBlock Building Systems.  Triangle Development served as the general contractor and John Joyce from Engineering Solutions was the project engineer.

Thanks to the Insulating Concrete Form Association for this article.

International Builders' Show Events

The National Association of Home Builders is once again hosting the International Builders' Show. This year the show is taking place at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. In addition to the exhibits, there will be educational seminars on residential concrete products.

Tuesday, January 20th

Green Advantages of Concrete Wall Systems: ICFs, Masonry, Precast
8:00 - 9:30 A.M.
North 256
Donn Thompson, PCA; Dennis Graber, NCMA; Brian Miller, PCI
This program will provide an overview of the many green building features of various above-grade concrete wall systems for residential construction discussed within the context of the recently developed NAHB National Green Building Standard. Innovative sustainable benefits of cast-in-place insulating concrete forms (ICFs) and removable form systems, concrete masonry and precast concrete wall systems will all be featured.

Housing Outlook
1:00-2:00 P.M.
PCA booth: N2342
Ed Sullivan, PCA
PCA's Chief Economist, Dr. Ed Sullivan, will be giving a presentation in the PCA Builders' Show booth. The presentation will cover the current housing market situation, as well as what builders can expect in the next few years. The economic session will be open to anyone.

Wednesday, January 21st

Concrete Homes 101
1:15-2:45 P.M.
South 219
Pieter VanderWerf, Building Works
The program will give the plusses and minuses of each major concrete building system (block, ICF, removable forms, precast) so attendees can choose the one best suited to their projects. It will include details and photos of real projects and hard numbers to show how each system works, what it costs and how it performs. The session concludes with a set of rules for picking the system to use in every building situation and information on how to get started with each system.

Thursday, January 22nd

Connect with Concrete
Concrete Home Building Council Luncheon
Building Systems Council Hospitality Suite
Noon-1:00 P.M.
Jim Niehoff, PCA

Friday, January 23rd

Troubleshooting Myths in Concrete Construction
10:15-11:45
South 219
Michelle Wilson
This session exposes the most common misconceptions in the concrete industry. It addresses real-life problems that may occur when using concrete as a building material caused by inadequacies in design, construction and maintenance practices. Include: •Proper cement & water content •Importance of slump curing •Finishing windows •Hot and cold weather concreting •Use of chemical admixtures •Surface defects

For more information on the Builders' Show, please click here.

World of Concrete Events

Upcoming Events

HVAC Sizing CD for Concrete Homes, Version 4.0

Latest update of this popular software which provides an effective means of estimating heating and cooling system capacities for single-family concrete homes. Originally created as part of a HUD-sponsored project, this program accounts for thermal mass benefits not recognized in traditional residential HVAC design standards. The software calculates the system capacities based on the house dimensions, construction materials, air infiltration, location (U.S., Canada, and Mexico) and thermostat set point.

CD044.04 - 2009 - $59.95

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