The cult of cheap construction

Portland Cement Association Chief Economist Ed Sullivan reported at the 2015 International Builders’ Show last month that housing starts will increase 20 percent this year—to 1.2 million units, up from roughly 950,000 units in 2014. The multifamily sector should see a 12 percent jump from last year’s levels, good for 400,000 unit starts. Apartment and condominium building will exhibit continued strength over the next five years, he added, as demographic trends reshape entry and exit patterns of the single-family unit market.

 
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Shell portal introduces working successor to API CJ-4 heavy-duty engine oil

Sources: Shell Lubricants, Houston; CP staff

Shell Rotella’s new WhatisPC11.com site profiles the next generation of diesel engine oils known as American Petroleum Institute (API) Proposed Category 11 (PC-11), covering product fundamentals, impending changes, testing updates, and how the specification is expected to affect new, current and older engines when PC-11 replaces API CJ-4 engine oils by 2017. The site also explores diesel engine technology changes, driven by tightening emissions regulations, and how Shell Lubricants is approaching the Rotella PC-11 series.

 
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Pipe pros converge for 2015 ACPA School, Rinker and Hanson tours

Sources: American Concrete Pipe Association (ACPA), Irving, Texas; CP staff

More than 300 concrete pipe professionals from across North America will gather March 3-6 in Orlando for the 2015 ACPA Pipe School, offering participants the opportunity to learn best practices in production, quality, sales and marketing, safety and engineering design, and visit Rinker and Hanson Pipe & Precast plants in Apopka and Winter Haven, Fla., respectively.

 
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Concrete pavement library migrates to ACPA’s Wikipave

Source: American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA), Rosemont, Ill.

A collaborative application placing information about concrete pavement at the fingertips of anyone, anywhere in the world, Wikipave marks one of the deepest transfers to date of free content from a North American concrete industry group. It allows ACPA staff, members, technology partners, and affiliated chapter/state personnel to add, modify, or delete technical content, encyclopedic listings, definitions and photos or illustrations.

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