Sources: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, Md.; CP staff
NIST has announced grants for research into how earthquakes, wind and fire affect the built environment, targeting results that inform building designs, codes and standards. One of 12 projects addresses combustible-material performance in the face of hazard exposure; three others focus on concrete or masonry structure behavior following seismic events.
Read MoreSources: Fortified Precast Technologies LLC, Ocala, Fla.; CP staff
Fortified Precast Technologies has outlined an ambitious Florida residential real estate development plan, leveraging a partnership with German precast concrete production specialist Vollert Group and Opportunity Zone provisions in the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA). The company’s Fortified Precast Opportunity Fund is authorized to raise $100 million in $20 million increments to build five plants incorporating Vollert mix delivery, form pallet and companion robotics or casting components. At 32,720 sq. ft. of daily wall panel output, the operations would be capable of supplying more than 4,200 home projects annually. The capacity would be initially targeted to the Sunshine State market, which seen residential building permits climb from 116,200 in 2016, to 122,700 in 2017 and 142,300 last year.
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