Successful Gulf Coast Workshops

One hundred and eighty builders, architects, engineers, contractors, and building officials received 7 professional development hours on hurricane resistant concrete construction during three workshops last week in the Gulf Coast states affected by Hurricane Katrina:

· Hattiesburg, Mississippi - April 11
· Baton Rouge, Louisiana - April 12
· Mobile, Alabama - April 13

The 1-day workshops began with a session on Fortified Homes, a program of the Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) followed by sessions on building code requirements, concrete masonry, precast concrete, tilt-up concrete, removable forms, and insulating concrete forms.

The workshops were sponsored by Mississippi Concrete Industries Association, Concrete and Aggregate Association of Louisiana, and Alabama Concrete Industries Association, Concrete Homes magazine, and Concrete Monthly magazine. The program was organized by the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association and presented by IBHS, Portland Cement Association, National Concrete Masonry Association, Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, Tilt-up Concrete Association, Concrete Foundations Association, and Insulating Concrete Form Association.

Joseph Lyman, Executive Director of the Insulating Concrete Form Association, believes the workshops were extremely useful, not only the audience, but also for the speakers and associations participating. He said, "It allowed us all to understand the problems/issues the region is facing, as well as what can be done to help them begin using better building systems."

NACA has already begun discussing when and where future workshops will be held. [ return to top ]