Concrete Home Building Council - 12/21/2004 (Plain Text Version)

CHBC Chairman
Michael Weber

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In this issue:
A Word From the CHBC President . . .
Successful Pilot Programs Bring Courses to NAHB in 2005
Concrete Homes Gain Significant Market Share
Look Out For Concrete at IBS
Portland Cement Excluded From Proposed OSHA Rule on Hexavalent Chromium
Affordable Home in Tulsa Able to Withstand Tornado-Force Winds
Moisture Issues: New Research from Reward Wall Systems
Dow to Make a Splash in Housing Market
ICPI Takes The Gold
Concrete Briefs . . .


Dow to Make a Splash in Housing Market

The Dow Chemical Company is poised to make a major impact in the residential market with their precast wall system. Styrofoam T-Mass Technology incorporates extruded polystyrene or polyisocyanurate insulation and fiber composite connectors sandwiched between layers of concrete. The system has all of the benefits associated with concrete and foam wall systems — superior energy efficiency, disaster and mold resistance, and a quiet indoor environment. The walls of a typical T-Mass home can be erected in a day, thus providing tremendous construction efficiency.

Runoff is being monitored from over 15,000 square feet of permeable interlocking concrete pavement in the road and driveways of the Glen Brook Green Subdivision in Waterford, Connecticut. During a recent home raising event in Henderson, Nevada, approximately 80 Las Vegas area builders, contractors, engineers, designers, and architects got a first-hand look at the process that was used to construct the exterior walls of the 4,500 square foot residence. The steel-reinforced precast panels were trucked out to the job site in the morning, lifted with a crane, and fastened together, with all of the exterior walls in place by late afternoon. The demonstration merited an article in the Las Vegas Review Journal, and coverage by a local television station.

Dow has a number of T-Mass projects ready to get underway in Las Vegas and around the country, including the construction of a prototype “zero energy” home in partnership with Pinnacle Homes. In addition to Las Vegas, Dow has licensed the technology to precast manufacturers in Seattle, Washington; Tampa, Florida; Savannah, Georgia; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Bakersfield, California; with additional licensees soon to be on board in the Southwest and Great Lakes Region.

To learn more about Styrofoam T-Mass Insulation Systems from Dow, visit http://www.concreteliving.com/ or call 866-583-BLUE (2583).


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