Builders’ Show Concrete Pavilion Marks Milestone

Nearing 14,000 sq. ft., the Concrete Pavilion celebrated its 20th year at the 2008 NAHB International Builders’ Show, Feb. 13-16, in Orlando. A gateway

CP STAFF

Nearing 14,000 sq. ft., the Concrete Pavilion celebrated its 20th year at the 2008 NAHB International Builders’ Show, Feb. 13-16, in Orlando. A gateway for the exhibits of 32 Concrete Pavilion partners, the Portland Cement Association booth featured association staff and promoters from around the country fielding residential-concrete inquiries from attendees at an event that in recent years has drawn upwards of 100,000. Amid the Orange County Convention Center, the booth offered three main attractions: a touch-screen kiosk demonstrating how concrete homes can reduce energy costs; pervious concrete pavement display demonstrating storm water management; and, concrete countertop illustrating aesthetic potential and durability.

The main offsite attraction during the show was the 2008 New American Home, built with autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) Û a first for the National Association of Home Builders-backed project. Provided by Indianapolis-based Aercon Industries, the lightweight, air-entrained AAC is cast in block or panel form and can be sawed to suit vertical and horizontal load-bearing conditions. Among AAC properties Aercon promotes are energy efficiency, resistance to fires, termites and mold, and enhanced sound attenuation. The AAC block walls, much like those of conventional concrete, can reportedly reduce sound penetration by more than 80 percent compared to wood-frame construction alternatives. Joining Aercon as 2008 New American Home concrete suppliers were Rinker Materials (ready mixed), Monier LifeTile (roof), and Owens Corning (Cultured Stone veneer).

At 6,725 sq. ft., the 2008 model is the fifth consecutive New American Home to have a concrete wall system and attain Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star program certification, indicating efficiency of 15 percent or greater than a typical home. A combination of Aercon block walls (side elevations) and conventional cast-in-place walls (front, back elevations) helps reduce heating and cooling requirements by an estimated 62 percent compared to a similarly sized central Florida house built of more conventional materials. The 2008 New American Home also carries the inaugural certification of NAHB’s National Green Building Program.