Trimble Introduces New Rugged Green Beam Laser System for Interior Construction

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American Concrete Institute Announces New Oficers for 2009

Farmington Hills, Michigan (March 24, 2009) — The American Concrete Institute (ACI) introduced its new president, vice president, and four board members last week during the ACI Spring 2009 Convention in San Antonio, Texas.

New ACI President Florian G. Barth officially assumed his one-year term, and new Vice President Kenneth C. Hover began his two-year term, while four new Board members began their three-year terms.

Florian G. Barth is the founder and former president of FBA, Inc., a structural engineering firm with offices in the San Francisco Bay area, Sacramento, and Orange County, Calif., specializing in concrete structures. Barth is a professional engineer with over 30 years of experience, having analyzed, designed, and evaluated more than 700 prestressed concrete structures.

Barth has been a member of numerous ACI technical committees, including being a voting member of ACI Committee 318, Structural Concrete Building Code, since 1995. Barth chairs the Task Group on TAC Communication and also serves on the ACI Executive Committee, ACI Foundation, International Partnerships subcommittee of the International Committee, and the Financial Advisory Committee. Barth is a past president and former director of the ACI Northern California and Western Nevada Chapter (1993 to 1997). He is also a past chair of the chapter’s technical committee.

A Fellow of ACI, Barth is the recipient of several awards, including the 1996 Concrete Construction Award presented by the ACI Northern California and Western Nevada Chapter for outstanding contribution to the concrete industry, Recognition for Meritorious Civic Services Award presented by the Mayor of San Francisco, the Certificate of Merit for outstanding services from the Mayor of New Orleans, and the ACI Delmar L. Bloem Distinguished Service Award for outstanding contributions to ACI Committee 224.

An active member and Fellow of the Post-Tensioning Institute (PTI), Barth has served as instructor for many national PTI seminars. He is chair of the Repair and Rehabilitation Committee, past chair of the Technical Advisory Board, a member of the PTI Slab-on-Ground Committee, and a past member of the PTI Board of Direction. In 2005, Barth was inducted as a charter member of the Post-Tensioning Institute Hall of Fame “Legends of Post-Tensioning.” He has also coauthored many publications related to prestressed concrete design, evaluation, and repair.

Barth received the equivalent of a bachelor’s and master’s degree in structural engineering from Karlsruhe University in Germany, and a master’s degree in architecture from California State University, San Luis Obispo, Calif.

Kenneth C. Hover is professor of civil and environmental engineering and Stephen Weiss Presidential Fellow at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. An ACI member since 1980, he currently chairs ACI Committee 301-C, Concrete Mixtures, Handling, Placing, Consolidating, and Curing, and serves on several other technical committees. Hover previously served on the ACI Board of Direction and was named a Fellow of ACI in 1992. In addition, he is a past president of the ACI Greater Miami Valley Chapter.

Hover started his career as a project engineer and project manager for Dugan and Meyers Construction Company in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was involved in construction of buildings, interstate bridges, and water treatment plants. After serving as a Captain in the Army Corps of Engineers (15th Combat Engineer Battalion), he then joined the structural consulting firm of THP, Ltd., in Cincinnati, advancing to partner and manager with experience in project design, specifications writing, design team management, and contract administration. He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from the University of Cincinnati and a PhD in structural engineering from Cornell University.

Hover came to Cornell with the assistance of a grant from the Exxon Foundation, designed to bring experienced engineers to the faculties of U.S. colleges of engineering, and he was among the first winners of an ACI scholarship. He joined the faculty in 1984, where he teaches reinforced and prestressed concrete design, concrete materials, and construction management. His research focuses on the impact of construction operations and the construction environment on concrete quality.

A licensed Professional Engineer in Ohio and New York, Hover lectures nationally and internationally on concrete materials and construction. ACI has honored him with the Joe W. Kelly Award, Robert E. Philleo Award, and Structural Research Award. He is also a winner of the ASCE Materials Division’s Best Basic Research Paper Award. The Weiss Presidential Fellowship is Cornell University’s highest teaching award and he has received many other teaching awards in his department and college. In January 2006 at World of Concrete, he was named one of the “Ten Most Influential People in the Concrete Industry.”

Elected as a new member of ACI’s Board of Direction is Dennis C. Ahal, chairman and CEO of Ahal Contracting Company, Inc., a 63-year-old concrete contracting firm in St. Louis, Mo., that specializes in flatwork, tilt-up, small foundations, and architectural concrete. He has 48 years of experience in the concrete business, with 23 as president of Ahal Contracting and nine as its chairman.

Ahal currently serves as Secretary of ACI Committee 302, Construction of Concrete Floors. He is co-chairing a Committee 302 task group studying delamination of lightweight concrete on trowel-finished floor slabs. A Fellow of ACI, he is a recipient of ACI’s Roger H. Corbetta Concrete Constructor Award.

A past president of the American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC), Ahal served as initial co-chair of a strategic alliance between ASCC and the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA). Ahal is a past president of the Concrete Council of St. Louis, and has been elected to the St. Louis Concrete Council Hall of Fame as one of the initial five inductees, and has received the St. Louis Concrete Council Award of Honor.

Emmanuel K. Attiogbe has also begun his post as a member of ACI’s Board of Direction. He is currently head of technical services at BASF Construction Chemicals, LLC–Admixture Systems in Cleveland, Ohio. Prior to joining BASF Construction Chemicals (then Master Builders) in 1990, he was a structural engineer with Associated Consultants in Accra, Ghana, and a research engineer, first at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kan., and then at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada. He rejoined BASF Construction Chemicals (then Master Builders) in 1998 after five years as a research scientist at the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Kuwait, where he led concrete research projects sponsored by the Kuwait government and the local construction industry.Named a Fellow of ACI in 2005, Attiogbe is the current chair of the TAC Technology Transfer Committee. He served on the 2007 Strategic Planning Task Group that developed the Institute’s third strategic plan.

Attiogbe represents BASF Construction Chemicals on the ACI Foundation’s Concrete Research Council and Strategic Development Council. The author of several technical papers on the materials and structural engineering aspects of concrete behavior, he was awarded ACI’s Wason Medal for Materials Research in 1995.

He received a BS in civil engineering from the University of Science and Technology, Ghana, and an MS and PhD in civil engineering from the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kan.

Also joining the ACI Board of Direction for the first time is Ron Klemencic. He is president of Magnusson Klemencic Associates, Inc., an award-winning structural and civil engineering firm based in Seattle, Wash. He is a Fellow of ACI and a member of several technical committees, including 318, Structural Concrete Building Code.

Klemencic has worked on projects in 16 states and 15 countries, and his current focus is complex high-rise and mixed-use designs. He recently led the development of the high-rise design method known as performance-based seismic design (PBSD), which provides buildings with increased safety and reliability at a reduced cost and is being adopted throughout the U.S. Klemencic is also involved in the industry through presentations, papers, and teaching at the university level.

Klemencic is licensed as a Professional Engineer in 12 U.S. states and one Canadian province, and over his 22-year career, he has acquired a reputation among developers, architects, and contractors for providing creative engineering solutions and value-added innovations. His designs cover the spectrum of project types and materials and incorporate the latest technically advanced approaches. He received his BS in civil engineering from Purdue University and MS in structural engineering from the University of California at Berkeley.

Joseph C. Sanders, a 30-year veteran in the field of construction, also joins the ACI Board of Direction this year. Sanders is senior vice president and director of Operations for the Charles Pankow Builders, Ltd. (CPBL), Pasadena, Calif., a division of Pankow, one of the foremost innovators of concrete construction methodologies and an industry leader in design-build project delivery in the U.S.

Since joining Pankow in 1979 as a field engineer, Sanders has held various leadership roles including project sponsor, regional manager, and director of engineering. He has been in charge of all aspects of preconstruction and construction as well as directing the design and construction activities of building teams and his contributions can be seen in a number of significant projects.

Throughout his career, Sanders has supported the construction industry through active involvement in ACI. He currently serves as chair of the Concrete Research Council and is a trustee of the ACI Foundation. In addition, Sanders serves on the Advisory Council of the Charles Pankow Foundation.

Sanders received a BS in civil engineering from Purdue University. He is a licensed Professional Civil Engineer and a LEED Accredited Professional by the U.S. Green Building Council.

High-resolution photos of the new officers can be obtained by contacting Sara Steptoe at sara.steptoe@concrete.org or 248-848-3148.

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For more information, contact:

Sara Steptoe
Marketing Communications Specialist
248-848-3148
Sara.steptoe@concrete.org

Advancing concrete knowledge

Founded in 1904 and headquartered in Farmington Hills, Mich., USA, members of the American Concrete Institute advance concrete knowledge by producing consensus, concrete-related codes, specifications, guides, and reports; creating and administering certification programs that support individuals in the concrete industry; delivering seminars and distance learning opportunities; publishing Concrete International magazine; and producing two peer-reviewed technical journals. For additional information, visit www.concrete.org.

Interested in sustainability?  Check out ACI’s green building resources at www.green.concrete.org.

The Bilco Company Appoints New International Sales and Marketing Manager

West Haven, Connecticut (March 12, 2009) — The Bilco Company, manufacturer of specialty access products for commercial and residential markets, named Kent Nichols to the position of International Sales and Marketing Manager. In his new role, Nichols will be responsible for developing and executing strategic plans and initiatives in support of Bilco’s global sales efforts. He will be actively involved in the company’s marketing efforts, strategic planning, new products and business development.

“Kent Nichols’ sales, marketing and international business development skills, combined with his expertise in the export markets of the Middle East, Latin America, Canadaand the Caribbean, will play a key role in our international expansion plans,” said Dominic DeConciliis, Bilco’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

Nichols comes to Bilco with more than 19 years of experience within the building products industry. In his recent position, he served as Director of Original Equipment Manufacturer and Export Sales for Elkhart Products Corporation in Elkhart, Ind. Prior to that, Nichols held senior sales management positions with US Filter Corporation, CUNO, Incorporated, and the Robert Bosch Corporation. During his nine-year career with Bradley Corporation, where he began as Assistant Product Manager, Nichols worked as Product Manager, Eastern Regional Sales Manager and National Sales Manager.

For more than 80 years, The Bilco Company has been a building industry pioneer in the design and development of specialty access products. Over these years, the company has built a reputation among homeowners, builders, architects, and engineers for products that are unequaled in design and workmanship. Bilco – an ISO 9001 certified company – offers a line of egress window wells, basement doors, and commercial access products.

With headquarters in West Haven, Connecticut, Bilco has manufacturing facilities in Trumann,Arkansas, and Zanesville, Ohio, and an international network of sales offices, dealers, distributors, and representatives.

American Concrete Institute Releases 2009 Edition of Manual of Concrete Practice

Farmington Hills, Michigan (March 9, 2009) — The American Concrete Institute (ACI) is pleased to announce the release of the 2009 edition of one of its best-selling publications, the Manual of Concrete Practice (MCP).

Containing more than 190 documents, the MCP is the most comprehensive and largest single source of concrete practice information available in one set of books. The MCP is a must-have for concrete professionals in any facet of the industry and contains all of the ACI documents needed to answer any questions about code requirements, specifications, tolerances, concrete proportions, construction methods, evaluation of test results, and many more topics. The MCP also includes the 2008 version of ACI 318-08, Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete and Commentary.

The MCP is available in a traditional hard copy version, which contains a set of six books and a separate index, an easy-to-use CD-ROM version, or an online version.

To order, please call 248-848-3800 or visit www.concrete.org.

Publisher: American Concrete Institute
Publishing date: March 2009
Hard copy: Order code: MCP09PACK.PR
$799.50 (ACI members $499.00)
CD-ROM: Order code: MCPCD09.PR
$681.50 (ACI members $409.00)
Hard copy plus CD-ROM: Order code: MCPCD09PACK.PR
$1185.50 (ACI members $711.00)

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For more information, contact:

Sara Steptoe
Marketing Communications Specialist
248-848-3148
Sara.steptoe@concrete.org

Advancing concrete knowledge – Founded in 1904 and headquartered in Farmington Hills, Mich., USA, members of the American Concrete Institute advance concrete knowledge by producing consensus, concrete-related codes, specifications, guides, and reports; creating and administering certification programs that support individuals in the concrete industry; delivering seminars and distance learning opportunities; publishing Concrete International magazine; and producing two peer-reviewed technical journals. For additional information, visit www.concrete.org.

Interested in sustainability? Check out ACI’s green building resources at www.green.concrete.org.

Trimble Introduces Economical Laser System for General Construction

Durable, Easy-to-Operate Spectra Precision Horizontal Rotating Laser

 

EPA Proposes Rule Imposing Stricter Stormwater Standards on Construction and Development Activities

On November 28, 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a rule under the Clean Water Act entitled “Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Construction and Development Point Source Category.” The proposed non-numeric effluent limitations guidelines (ELGs) would require contractors, developers, and others conducting land-disturbing activities to implement specific minimum best management practices (BMPs) for erosion control, sediment control, and pollution prevention. Certain sites could be required to implement stormwater treatment processes in addition to BMPs in order to meet the new standards, and other large sites may have to meet numeric turbidity limits. Treatment and numeric limits would be a significant change from existing standards, which focus chiefly on BMPs. The proposed ELGs are intended to work in concert with state and local programs, establishing minimum requirements or a “floor” that would be applicable nationally. The ELGs, if promulgated, will be applied to construction and development sites as EPA, states, and tribes incorporate the new requirements into general and individual stormwater discharge permits. EPA has requested public comment on the proposed rule, and the comment period will remain open until Feb. 26, 2009.

In 2004, EPA decided not to issue ELGs for stormwater discharges from construction and development sites. The Natural Resources Defense Council and other plaintiffs filed suit, however, alleging that EPA’s decision not to promulgate ELGs for the construction industry violated a mandatory duty under the Clean Water Act. The U.S. District Court and the Ninth Circuit agreed with the plaintiffs and established a timetable for EPA to promulgate the ELGs. In response, EPA designed the proposed rule to achieve cleaner streams and greener neighborhoods through implementation of erosion and sediment control measures and pollution prevention practices. According to EPA, sediment is one of the leading causes of water quality impairment nationwide. Construction activities such as clearing, excavating, and grading disturb the land, and the disturbed soil, if not managed properly, can wash off construction sites and enter streams and other bodies of water. Stormwater discharge from construction sites can cause a variety of physical, chemical, and biological impacts to water bodies.

In addition to requiring BMPs, the proposed ELGs mandate that construction sites disturbing ten or more acres at a time also would be required to install sediment basins or approved alternatives to treat stormwater discharge. Also, certain large sites of 30 acres or more located in areas with high rainfall and with high clay content soils would have to comply with a numeric limit on the allowable level of turbidity. The turbidity limit would be set to remove fine-grained and slow-settling or non-settleable particles contained in stormwater, since particles such as clays and fine silts contained in stormwater discharges typically cannot be effectively removed by conventional stormwater best management practices. To achieve this numeric limit of turbidity, many developers may have to treat and filter the stormwater discharge at their construction sites.

Industry officials have voiced concern over the proposed numeric discharge limit that potentially requires installation of expensive control technologies at large construction sites. In addition, some industry and trade groups oppose numeric standards generally in the context of stormwater regulation, preferring BMPs as more flexible and as adding less to the bottom line on construction projects compared to complying with numeric standards. On the other hand, EPA did not include any post-construction runoff controls in its proposal, as environmentalists had urged. Post-construction stormwater is regulated indirectly, through the requirements imposed on municipal stormwater systems. Environmentalists had argued that post-construction standards should be imposed directly on developers.

EPA estimates that the proposed rule will reduce the amount of sediment discharged from construction sites by up to 27 billion pounds each year, at a projected annual cost of $1.9 billion. EPA says that the benefits from the proposed rule include better protection of drinking water supplies, improvements in aquatic environments, and reduced need for dredging of navigation channels.

EPA is accepting comment on the proposed regulation and may change its approach in light of comments received. Additionally, on Dec. 3, 2008, EPA filed a petition for panel rehearing by the Ninth Circuit. For more information, or if you are interested in making comments on EPA’s proposed rule, please contact Bob Martineau, Ed Callaway, Michael Stagg, Lena Babaeva or any member of the Waller Lansden Environmental practice at 800-487-6380.

The opinions expressed in this bulletin are intended for general guidance only. They are not intended as recommendations for specific situations. As always, readers should consult a qualified attorney for specific legal guidance.

Kathy Birchall

Seigenthaler Public Relationemail:

kbirchall@seigenthaler.com

You Need To Be A Member — Let’s Help Each Other!

I would like to make a case for CFA membership. Whether you are a current member and thinking about dropping your membership, a past member or thinking about becoming a member; if you are a poured wall contractor CFA is a valuable resource. With the worst economy that most of us will likely ever face, CFA is a resource that can help us survive in this down market.

As most of us are scaling back, cost cutting and looking for other ways to save money or to diversify to find new market share, let your membership in CFA help. CFA members are very open and helpful to all fellow members and find utilizing each others strengths, successes and even failures can be of great value. If you have questions or need help give CFA a call or email and they will hook you up with some fellow members. CFA members have vast experience and expertise on many diverse topics, such as starting new markets, commercial work, waterproofing, excavation, RCF and flatwork. Maybe you need help downsizing. Business topics like strategy for successful banking, insurance. The point is if you have an idea or problem and would like somebody to run it by there is likely a CFA member who has been through the same thing.

CFA has many other reasons for a poured wall contractor to be a member, such as it’s work with ACI 332, cold weather concrete, CFA certified contractor program, research, promoting below grade living and other concepts for poured wall contractors. CFA is truly the leader and voice for our industry. In this troubled time networking and sharing ideas is the most important, whether it is on the phone, by email or face to face at one of the meetings, let’s help each other survive and prosper.

Dan Bromley, CFA President, ABI Corporation

danb@abi-corp.com

WE MADE IT THROUGH 2008… NOW ON TO 2009

We made it through 2008. Not unscathed by any means – membership and dues are both off by nearly 30% from 2007 – but we are here to begin 2009. Survival is the good news. The bad news is that 2009 promises more of the same, at least if you believe practically every economist and analyst in the business. At CFA, we are not about to recede into the trenches. Our members need us now, more than ever. Not as much as you need your banker or customers, but we still feel we can be of value.

The CFA-Certified Contractor Program is up-and-running. The first group of contractors to apply for the program has been approved and CFA has begun to promote the program on a national basis. The first exposure was a half page ad in a recent issue of Concrete Contractor magazine. We are also promoting the program at the upcoming IBS show in January. The message, “Why you should use a CFA-Certified Contractor,” is directed at builders and developers. The message will change at the World of Concrete to, “Why you should be a CFA-Certified Contractor.” We are also considering expanding the certification program to include the designation “Residential Foundation Technician” for those who have passed the qualifications exam. A considerable amount of effort and knowledge is required to pass this comprehensive exam and a method of recognizing those individuals is warranted. It also gives those interested in becoming a CFA certified contractor, but unable to make the full commitment at this time, a way of getting one segment of the program behind them.

The CFA Self-Insurance Program is still progressing. Unless you have shut your doors, you need insurance. The CFA is still performing “due-diligence,” evaluating alternative programs and getting answers to critical questions to make certain the program we recommend is the best one for our members. The current economic slow down hasn’t helped since there are minimum fi gures for both company premiums and number of companies to get the program started. We will keep you informed of our progress.

The Project of the Year competition has received the highest number of submittals in its history. Eighteen foundations were submitted this year. There will be three opportunities for you to vote for your favorite project: The CFA booth at the World of Concrete; the ballot in this issue of CFA Concrete Facts on page 19; or, you can cast your ballots on-line at www.cfawalls.org. Make certain you vote before the deadline (Friday at the World of Concrete). Balloting will open the first week in January.

We are continuing with our planning for the 2009 Summer Convention at Amelia Island, hopeful that many of you who missed last year’s can get away in 2009. We have cut the number of rooms in our set-aside by 33% so if you think you might make it, we suggest you get your reservation early. Another great program is in store.

Finally, like most of you, we are also cutting back. The booth at the World of Concrete is smaller, expenses are being scrutinized, and non-essential costs deferred. We are in this for the long-haul and we are using this time to refine programs and benefits that will help all of you be more profitable when the economy turns around – and it will turn around. Give us a call or drop us an email and let us know how you are doing. We wish you the best for 2009 and beyond.

Ed Sauter, Executive Director, CFA

esauter@cfawalls.org

CFA INAUGURAL CERTIFICATION EVENT SHOWS STRONG FUTURE

The first qualification exam for the CFA Cast-In-Place Concrete Foundation Contractor Certification Program was recently completed by CFA at the Summer Convention in Arizona. Exams were administered on Wednesday, August 2, 2008 and Saturday, August 5, 2008. They were preceded by a review seminar. Interested companies sent 21 persons to sit for the 2-hour exam.

“The response to this initial offering was staggering,” states Ed Sauter, CFA Executive Director. “As we prepared for the Convention, we had just a handful registered to attend the certification component but that quickly swelled to twenty one examinees, several companies sending two representatives.”

According to Sauter, the exam is a two-hour, open book effort that challenges more than the knowledge base of the examinee.

“This exam was designed to demonstrate that companies have the ability to use the resources at their disposal,” states Sauter. “We did not feel that testing their specific ability to recall a fact or a process was as much of value as developing a solid understanding that they could use codes, standards and construction guides to answer the broader questions in the industry. Examinees found it was a much bigger challenge than some had estimated, but most felt it demonstrated the true value of knowing and understanding building code and safety standard publications.”

This exam was the first, or the pre-qualification step for companies to become certified by the CFA as a Cast-In-Place Concrete Foundation Contractor company. The program seeks to establish a nationwide benchmark for contracting companies involved in the construction of residential concrete foundations. Following the exam, companies must then submit business records dealing with safety, operations, training programs, etc. They must then adhere to a continuing education requirement and periodic audits. The CFA sees this as the next big issue affecting construction across the country and is applying their expertise and status in the industry to create the most appropriate benchmark.

“The issue of certification is one that several of our members are currently trying to handle in their local jurisdictions,” states Dan Bromley, CFA’s current President and the initiator of the certification program for the Association. “This program grew from critical business components identified by the committee to a program that is intended to strengthen the industry and the Association’s impact to its members.”

Submittals of company information will be reviewed by the CFA’s certification consultant, Evaluation Services, Inc. or Phoenix, Arizona. Their review will complete the final steps necessary to receive initial certification.

“We’ve seen the interest the industry has in certification,” states Sauter, “and now we are publicizing why the industry will benefit from this certification. We will also expand certification opportunities. We anticipate holding a minimum of four certification events each year to broaden the opportunities for foundation contracting companies.”

Certification pre-qualification seminars and exams are scheduled for Columbus, Ohio (see information on page 11) and Las Vegas, NV during the World of Concrete (Feb. 2 & 3, 2009). For information on registering for the opportunity in Las Vegas, visit the CFA website at www.cfawalls.org and pre-register using the promotion code A30. You will receive free registration to the WOC exhibits as well as significant discounts on seminars. You will be able to register for the exam.

To learn more about the CFA Foundation Contractor Certification Program or to find out how your company can begin the steps towards becoming certified, visit the CFA website or contact CFA’s headquarters at 319-895-6940.

BASEMENT OF THE YEAR

For the last few years we have asked our members to enter a basement project that offered challenges of any kind in the ‘Basement of the Year’ award competition. (A reminder to all CFA members — you can submit ANY basement you have done regardless of the level of difficulty you experienced). We want to thank the CFA members who entered the eleven entries we received this year, (would have been twelve, had the basement not caused so many issues for a company — perhaps it will be in next year’s competition.)

Each year we look forward to receiving ‘Basement of the Year’ entries from our members to ‘show and tell’ in Concrete Facts magazine and at the World of Concrete, for contractors and manufacturers from all over the globe to vote on. These votes come from everyone within the concrete industry. We appreciate the time you took to vote on the ones you believe would have created the most difficult construction issues for the builders and their crews.

The following basements are this year’s winners — the ones that were regarded as the most difficult basements to undertake. The information on the following pages is for you to read through and wonder if one of your basements could have beaten it out of the top spot.

Here is the information that was submitted by our members when asked these few simple questions

1. What was the size of the project?
2. Project information.
3. Discuss any significant footing details.
4. Discuss any outstanding wall features.
5. Why did the owner select you as the contractor?
6. Describe the complexity of the project and how the challenges were met.
7. Discuss the special materials or processes used.

Any additional information you would like to add regarding why this project should be selected for the Basement of the Year Award.

Single Family 2,000 to 5,000

Kaser & Maeyens out of South Bend, IN. Entry # 9

The basement was a total of 4, 303 square feet. The footings required a total of 44.75 yards with 4,117 lbs of steel. The walls themselves had a total of 107 yards with 2,909 lbs of steel and a wall thickness of 8” by 10”.

Outstanding features: Wall that had 26’-4”of 10” x 8’-10” radius wall. This wall has 8” by 10” walls with eight different wall heights. There were three bay windows that angled in three different directions.

The most complex part of the job was dealing with an architect that was not familiar with residential construction, with that in mind we made sure that everything was approved by the owner

Single Family over 5,000 feet

FormCo out of Salt Lake City, UT. Entry # 1

The basement was a total of 25,000 square feet. The footings required 301 yards with a total of 8,809 lbs of steel. The walls required 953 yards of concrete. 113,452 lbs of steel.

Outstanding features for this entry include the 27’ foot wall was a single pour of pre-tied, double faced #6 and #7 rebar at 6”, using three stacked 9’ aluminum forms. The project contained multiple radiuses, 140 plus corners and contained two major elevation changes of 15 and 16 vertical feet. One area contained a stairway to angle wall connection requiring two inside corners back to back.

The project took nearly 25 different trips to layout the 370 plus points for the footings and foundations. The size of the project took three major mobilizations; the first included the high walls of the trophy room and the butcher shop. The second and third involved the high walls of the racquetball court which was at a different elevation, and finally there was the cabana and the pool house again set at a different elevation.

Single Family over 5,000 feet

Ekedal Masonry and Concrete, Inc out of Newport Beach, CA. Entry # 5 (Loder Project)

This project was a total of 14,000 square feet. The footings required a total of 150 yards of concrete, and 20,210 lbs of steel. The walls took a total of 450 yards of concrete and 30,000 lbs of steel with thicknesses ranging from 8” to 32”. The width of the footings was minimal due to the spancrete deck.

The outstanding feature on this project was the suspended elliptical concrete staircase with an overall rise of 30’, and covering three floors. Another outstanding feature that was a part of this project was that most every wall had window and or door openings with corresponding lintel beams.

Complex aspects of this job included many different types of concrete work, from spread footings to suspended decks. Most of the forming systems were designed on site with the aid of the project managers. Using a CAD system the layout of the walls and the elliptical stairs were put into drawings so that the architect had the information before construction started for any design or structural elements that may not have worked.

Commercial / Multi-Family

Balmer Brothers Concrete Work, Inc out of Akron, PA. Entry # 11

This building was constructed for a rock quarry; uses for the building would be intended for an underground aggregate storage.

The nature of this project was to construct the footings, piers, retaining walls and a cluster of six bins. The piers and walls used a total of 1,097 yards of concrete while the footings themselves used a total of 503 yards of concrete. A total of 107 tons of steel was used for the entire project. The concrete on this project was between 4000 and 4500 BL with some of it mixed having 50% slag to give the project a more durable surface Since the slag was at 50% and acting as a natural retarder, this posed pouring concerns on the higher wall pours.

After the rock excavation and the footings were back filled then compacted, the footings for the six bins had been started. The retaining walls were 24’ and 27’ in height. The bin cluster was the more labor intensive of the project. The exterior walls and beams on the first level were done in a monolithical pour to a height of 12’ 6”, then using a 6” angle iron on the inside of all six of the bin. The next level of pour was to a height of 11’ 6”, with the walls being stepped in 6” to receive the steel bin hoppers. On the top of this there is a 4” angle to support the steel grating to help support the dump trucks. The third and final lift was 42”, this project was completed mid December of 2007.