In addition, Alex Strong, with the NAHB State and Local Government Affairs sector, informed the NCBC Board of Trustees about a specific commercial green building initiative in Louisiana that could set a precedent for other jurisdictions across the United States in mandating green building requirements.

Louisiana House Bill 548, Green Building Tax Credit Program, provides for tax incentives, as well as proscribes standards, for the construction of green buildings. The legislation, were it to pass, would effect several sectors of the building industry, including commercial construction. The Louisiana legislation represents a growing trend toward green building legislation in state houses across the country. To date, more than 100 bills have been introduced in 2007 in more than 30 states dealing specifically with the building industry; whether it be commercial, mixed use, public use or residential. Most of these bills have referenced the LEED standard as a benchmark for green building. 

NAHB is developing a set of green building guidelines for their members and the Trustees asked that commercial applications be addressed when the information is being compiled and written. Strong will be working with the NCBC Issues Committee to develop appropriate language to include light commercial construction.

Bernard Markstein, NAHB senior economist and staff vice president of forecasting and analysis, made a presentation to the Trustees on the state of the light commercial market.

His presentation showed that the non-residential market has steadily improved over the past several years and that non-residential construction is beginning to partially offset the weaknesses in residential construction. Markstein said that light commercial is providing a cushion against sharp decline in overall economic growth due to rising energy costs and a weakened housing market.

Markstein said that the pace of both office and retail construction has steadily increased recently. The increase in office construction reflects the movement of workers to the suburbs and also the growth of the high-tech sector of private enterprise. Retail construction generally follows new housing developments to serve the new residents.

The deadline for entries is Aug. 1.

The National Commercial Builders Council sponsors the Awards of Excellence program to bring recognition to commercial building projects that range from less than 5,000 to more than 100,000 square feet. Projects must have been completed after Dec. 31, 2004 and may be entered in commercial, industrial, institutional, medical, mixed-use commercial/retail, recreational, retail and new for 2008 — green building.

One or several projects can be entered in this competition. Projects may be submitted by the builder, developer, architect or contractor of the project.

The six divisions in which a project can be entered include:

• Small-scale projects less than 5,000 square feet
• Projects 5,001 to 10,000 square feet
• Projects 10,001 to 40,000 square feet
• Projects 40,001 to 75,000 square feet
• Projects 75,001 to 100,000 square feet
• Projects more than 100,000 square feet

A panel of building industry professionals will consider entrants for Project of the Year, Grand, Merit and Chairman’s awards in all categories.

Winners will be notified by mail no later than Nov. 1.

A public announcement will follow at NAHB’s International Builders’ Show, Feb. 13-16, 2008, in Orlando, Fla.

Recognition includes a desk obelisk, a photo of your project on display with the other winners at the International Builders’ Show; acknowledgment in Commercial Builder magazine and the opportunity to participate in educational sessions at the Builders Show.

In addition, some winners may be featured in future issues of Commercial Builder magazine.

For more details on eligibility and entrance requirements, contact Nick Lashinsky at 800-368-5242 x8455.

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• Read about Ken Ringe’s entrance into commercial building and his involvement in his Florida community.
• Learn about the latest OSHA happenings from NAHB’s OSHA experts.
• Find out how business management software can help a light commercial builder run the business on schedule and on budget.

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Contractors worldwide are now engaging a wide variety of technologies and processes to add greater variety to the palate available to today’s architects and designers, which allow them to capitalize on one of their greatest virtues — creativity. From architectural features such as cornice lines and accent bands to façade enhancements of thin brick, block and stone, as well as a multitude of textured coatings, architects now have limitless possibilities for creating an aesthetically appealing structure.

Thin Brick

One decorative architectural finish that has been popular with Tilt-Up concrete contractors for several years incorporates kiln-fired, one-fourth-inch thick bricks milled to tight tolerances with the exterior surface of the Tilt-Up panel. The bricks are placed onto the floor slab within the panel forms to build a brick wall horizontally on the casting bed. A variety of methods secure these bricks during concrete placement and create the “tooled” mortar joint look once the panel has been lifted into place. The faces of the brick are coated with a thin wax to prevent discoloration by the cement paste. The coating is power washed off after erection. Further, the brick has no impact on the structural performance of the wall, and it can be installed in almost any climate or weather condition.

Since the mortar joint is composed of the concrete placed for the panel, it can be enhanced with color additives. This is a definite advantage when working to match adjacent projects using a combination of the thin brick and color in thin fascia applications of Tilt-Up sandwich panels. Allowing for more design flexibility and creativity, bricks are available in a full spectrum of colors and textures with additional shapes for corners and returns. As with standard brick, thin brick systems can be placed in a running or stacked bond configuration with soldier and header courses as well.

Thin Block

Tilt-Up is not limited to incorporating brick to achieve a masonry scale. Technology has found an inroad to add concrete masonry units to Tilt-Up. Architectural concrete masonry units are placed in the forms horizontally -- similar to that of the thin brick systems — opening doors for both construction mediums by providing another architectural option for Tilt-Up construction and adding a growing market for block manufacturers. Thin block provides the aesthetic versatility and scale some designers find in masonry, while capitalizing on the speed and economy of Tilt-Up construction. Masons, mortar and the traditional masonry schedule are removed from the project and minimal handwork is required. Unlike conventional masonry construction, the block units are free of the constraints of gravity, since they are embedded in the placed concrete of a Tilt-Up wall panel. This makes unique design patterns possible, including mosaic or tile patterns without complicating the construction schedule.

The key unit of the system is the “facer,” an architectural concrete masonry unit approximately two-inches thick that has been specifically engineered for the application. The “facer” is laid on the forming surface in the desired pattern. Crews clip together adjacent units to stabilize them and seal the joints with sand to inhibit bleed-through of cement paste. Once this is completed, the Tilt-Up construction process proceeds as usual. As with the thin brick systems, this cast-in product requires minimal cleaning to finish the look. 

Coatings

The most popular and common method by far of finishing a Tilt-Up panel is painting. While this technique has been available for decades, new advances in textured coating varieties have increased the variety and flexibility of this finishing method. Textured coatings are able to provide finishes from varying grades of surface texture to things as visually stimulating as a simulated stone finish giving new looks to the traditional painted concrete wall.

A key difference between paint and coatings is the thickness of the application placed on the wall. Coatings are installed at the 15 to 17 dry mils range, while painting is typically one third to one sixth of that thickness. The thicker textured coatings will camouflage the minor cracks and imperfections that are commonly found on the surface of concrete panels. The coatings can be applied to damp, dry, cured or uncured concrete and in a broad range of temperatures as low as – 35 degrees Fahrenheit.

Technology will continue to bring new finishing ideas to Tilt-Up for years to come. More simulated, faux, or “thin” materials will continue to be introduced, as well as improvements in coating materials. As the diversity of finishes expands, Tilt-Up will be used more frequently and further penetrate markets throughout the globe.

The Tilt-Up Concrete Association was founded in 1986 to improve the quality and acceptance of site cast Tilt-Up construction, a construction method in which concrete wall panels are cast on-site and tilted into place.  Tilt-Up construction is one of the fastest growing industries in the United States, combining the advantages of reasonable cost with low maintenance, durability, speed of construction and minimal capital investment.  For more information about the TCA, contact Ed Sauter at 319-895-6911. [return to top]

By developing local grassroots activities that bring NAHB members and their members of Congress together throughout the year, BuilderLink will build on the momentum generated by the annual NAHB conference, which is expected to draw more than 1,000 builders to Capitol Hill to share their concerns on housing-related issues with their representatives and senators.

BuilderLink will pinpoint members of Congress who have the most influence over priority housing issues and link them to the NAHB members living in the areas they represent. As constituents, NAHB members are in a unique position to directly communicate with their federal lawmakers on the impact of their decisions on housing.

Whether conducting a local visit, writing a letter or making a phone call to a member of Congress, BuilderLink will provide the resources NAHB members need to advocate a pro-housing message.

“Members of Congress need to hear from the men and women in the building industry — their constituents — about the impact federal policies have on their livelihood,” said Michael Sivage, chairman of the NAHB Federal Government Affairs Committee. “BuilderLink gives NAHB members the tools they need to develop relationships with federal lawmakers and make their voices heard.”

For more information on BuilderLink, click here, or e-mail Molly Murray at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8470.
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Attention Council members: the NAHB Membership Committee has made official federation membership available to Council members who are employed by a Builder or Associate member for a significantly reduced dues investment. The idea is a decrease in dues for the ‘employee’ membership category in exchange for an increase in official member participation—a structural shift that could yield big benefits for would-be members who currently participate in local-level events without being counted in industry totals.

This means if your employer is a Builder or Associate member, and your local HBA recognizes the Affiliate category, you are now eligible for full membership via the Affiliate category for a significantly reduced fee (the national portion of the dues investment is only $5). Why bother? Because it’s the full memberships that count when it comes to taking care of our industry.

By reducing the already low Affiliate member dues structure from $25 to $5 at the national level and breaking down the financial barrier to membership, the NAHB Membership Committee is raising priorities in other areas:

1. The dues decrease is designed to increase official participation and therefore our ability to protect and serve the industry.
2. The dues decrease will amplify valuable member involvement at all levels of the federation.

“Numbers are just as important in managing the business of our association as they are in the business of building homes,” said 2006 NAHB Membership Committee Chair Larry Stege who led the 2006 Committee in an exploration of possibilities regarding this membership category last year culminating in the change, “The only difference is that our bottom line is measured by the vitality brought to the scene by our members and by the strength we have in our legislature’s office…in order to lead this industry into the future, we have to be able to officially count and welcome in the thousands of Affiliate members who are involved in our Councils,” Stege added. 

As an Affiliate member, individuals may serve on NAHB committees, task forces, working groups and more, and are included in the official membership number of the federation. Council members who are eligible (employed by a Builder or Associate member) are encouraged to participate by seeking Affiliate membership. If your local HBA does not offer the category, contact your Executive Officer to request availability.

More details are available online or by contacting Emily Fitzsimmons.
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The Scaffolding, Shoring & Forming Institute, commonly known as SSFI, is offering free online resources to help keep work sites safe.

SSFI is a trade association comprising manufacturers of shoring, scaffolding, forming, and suspended scaffolding. The institute primarily focuses on engineering and safety aspects of scope products.

Education being one of the most powerful tools in preventing accidents and injury, SSFI houses a host of information, free to Web site visitors. There, information can be accessed covering and differentiating all aspects of scope products including forming, scaffolding, shoring and suspended scaffolding. Free online resources include:

• How-to information for safety in the field
• Safety practices and guidelines
• Educational information
• Informative tech bulletins and documents
• Product testing information
• Other resources

SSFI is dedicated to being the number one resource on scope products, drawing additional guidance from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), various state standards, American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards, and American Concrete Institute (ACI). Relevant information from all of these organizations can be accessed easily through the SSFI Web site.

Because this industry touches so many lives, SSFI keeps safety and proper use of scope equipment a top priority. This enhances the protection of those individuals who work in high-risk conditions, from window washers to construction workers, minimizing risk and heightening safety awareness.

For more information, or to learn more about the Scaffolding, Shoring and Forming Institute, visit www.ssfi.org or call SSFI at 216-241-7333.

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