Concrete Home Building Council - 04/20/2006 (Plain Text Version)

CHBC Chairman
Michael Weber

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In this issue:
Concrete On The Road Again
"The Dragon House" Basement of The Year
Showcasing CONCRETE HOMES
Sunset Trails IV “Innovative Concrete Living”
Concrete Troubleshooting Course NH
Masonry: It Makes A Village
TRI Trains Sixty Roof Tile Installers
Successful Gulf Coast Workshops
Concrete on HGTV & DIY This Week
Enter the Best in American Living Awards Competition
Concrete Briefs . . .

Concrete Briefs . . .

Self-Cleaning, Pollution-Mitigating Cement Sees North America Rollout
Although widely accepted in the European Union, Essroc's TX Millennium cement technology received its official North American rollout at this year's World of Concrete in Las Vegas. The product line consists of two key components: TX Arca cement, which provides concrete with a self-cleaning benefit; and, TX Aria cement, which results in concrete with the added ability to mitigate environmental pollution. The science behind the products is based on utilizing a hydraulic binder with photocatalytic properties that render the concrete self-cleaning and/or pollution-mitigating.

TX Arca reduces the maintenance requirements for concrete structures or buildings by destroying most organic and inorganic pollutants that come into contact with the surface and cause discoloration. Essroc personnel at World of Concrete were quick to point out that better-looking buildings would also result in higher leasing rates and potentially higher market rates. Although the product is more expensive, Essroc says that the lack of traditional cleaning would show a return on investment in a relatively short time.

Concrete: A Friend of Habitat for Humanity
Lafarge North America is teaming up with Habitat for Humanity on a project that will consist of 15 insulated concrete form homes, pervious concrete for the walking paths and parking areas, on-demand water heaters, radiant heat flooring, Pin Pile foundations, Hardie Plank siding and many more features to make these homes very Green and sustainable. Miles Sand & Gravel will be supplying the concrete for the ICF walls and the Pervious concrete.

Currently the team is building 3 Logix ICF homes, all of these homes will be 2 story. One of the homes will be a Women Built home. It is planned there will be another 6 homes built this year and 6 more next year.

To learn more about project, please contact Jerry Fugich (Habitat Construction Supervisor) at 360-239-1035, there will be demonstrations throughout the project. The first stacking of walls will be Saturday, April 22nd starting at 9:00 in Olympia, WA. Look for more in-depth coverage from CHBC and NAHB as this project progresses.

ICFA Hires Technical Services Manager
The Insulating Concrete Form Association recently hired Vera Novak to become its Technical Services Manager. The position is a newly created position that will help promote the use of the insulating concrete form building system by fighting for code and standard advancements, creating publications and brochures and helping to further define the potential uses of insulating concrete forms (ICFs).

Novak brings to the ICFA a unique combination of ICF and green building industry experience, as well as technical knowledge coupled with a marketing perspective. In her recent position as the Environmental Specialist for ECO-Block, LLC, Novak was a respected conference speaker and contributor to industry journals on matters of sustainability and building science.

Novak says, "I firmly believe that more technical and environmental knowledge will help us integrate ICFs into mainstream construction practices and accelerate the growth of our market share in North America. I am delighted to join the ICFA to contribute to this process."

The Brick Industry Association Joins CHBC
The Brick Industry Association (BIA) has recently joined the NAHB Concrete Home Building Council (CHBC) as an Association member. Ten national trade associations are actively developing programs as a resource for NAHB's builder membership.

BIA and CHBC have common interests in masonry cement and are currently finalizing a 4-hour education program titled, Handling Moisture behind Brick Veneer to Back-up Wall Systems with NAHB's Home Builder Institute through combined financial and technical support from the Portland Cement Association (PCA) and the National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA).

Located in Reston, Virginia, the Brick Industry Association is committed to advancing the interest of brick manufacturers and distributors, accomplishing objectives which either cannot be achieved by individual members, or those which are more efficiently carried out collectively.

PCI Calls For 2006 Design Award Entries
PCI is accepting through May 19 entries in its annual Design Awards competition, and has posted forms at www.pci.org/news/call_for_entries/. Along with Best-in-Class awards for various structure types, awards will also be given in such special categories as Harry H. Edwards Industry Advancement, Best All Precast structure, and Best Sustainable Design.

Oklahoma State to Host Concrete Canoe Competition
The 19th National Concrete Canoe Competition will be June 15-17 at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater. ASCE projects attendance of 400-plus engineering students representing more than 20 university teams qualifying for the competition, the highlight of which will be canoe races on Stillwater's Boomer Lake. In addition to their performance on the water, teams will be judged on technical papers, business presentations, and their canoes' aesthetics and adherence to competition design parameters.

Supporting ASCE in this year's program are long-time lead sponsor Degussa Admixtures Inc., plus Baker Concrete Construction, Cemex, U.S. Silica Co., and Propex (SI) Concrete Systems. Additional information on the competition can be obtained from ASCE's Joan Buhrman, 703/295-6406 or jbuhrman@asce.org; or at the ASCE web site www.asce.org/inside/nccc2006/