McCarthy Building Companies recently raised the final beam on Building G for The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Due to tight site conditions and the coastal environment, the team created a reverse forming system to develop the foundation system for the new research facility, as it needed to establish a way to hold up the sand before pouring the foundation.…
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Authorized installer Wayne Brothers proves MEGASLAB tendencies to low carbon metrics, high load-bearing potential, plus concrete schedule and jointing optimization The MEGASLAB specification equates to a 70 percent reduction in the amount of jointing that a conventional 9-in. thick alternative would require. The darker, glass-like section shown here has received a final trowel pass and is ready for MEGASpray. Following…
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Building Transparency, the Seattle-based organization behind the environmental product declaration-fueled Embodied Carbon Calculator (EC3), raises a “less is more” premise for carbon emissions-minded architectural, engineering and construction professionals. Authors of its latest report, Manufacturers Guide to Embodied Carbon, frame “dematerialization” as a strategy where the lowest cost, lowest carbon footprint specification results from a design requiring less raw material per…
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Workforce safety, input and growth potential carry the day at new Knife River Prestress Division flagship BY DON MARSH A new high-bay structure a stone’s throw from the Washington-Idaho border is poised to emerge this decade as the most productive precast, prestressed concrete facility on the West Coast. With nearly 200,000 square feet under roof on a 45-acre site, the…
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15th Annual Decorative Concrete International Awards program. Open to both ASCC members and non-members, the competition honors outstanding decorative concrete projects in 19 categories ranging from Cementitious Overlays to Architectural Cast-in-Place. Submitted entries were judged equally on aesthetics, craftsmanship, functionality, creativity and safety by a panel of industry professionals. The 2023 awards were presented during ASCC’s annual convention in Grand…
Read MoreThe Associated General Contractors of America followed up challenges noted here last month to a Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council rule requiring Project Labor Agreements (PLA) on federal construction contracts exceeding $35 million. By offering perspectives on competition, federal labor and procurement statutes, and taxpayer dollar stewardship, the group exposes the dubious nature of what its counsel calls the PLA…
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WBE Tec-Crete Transit-Mix holds its own in the Big Apple A work ethic cultivated by a range of duties—filling sand bags to office work—for her father’s New York City ready-mix business, F&M Transit Mix in Jamaica, Queens, more than paid off for Linda Gisonda in adult life. Indeed, she is the sole proprietor of a two-plant operation filling mixer trucks…
Read MoreIf major construction project permitting, workforce and procurement challenges were not enough, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council has injected additional complications by making good on a White House directive requiring Project Labor Agreements on 100-plus contracts annually where federal funds exceed $35 million. Administration officials argue that PLAs promote economy and efficiency by eliminating the risk of delay associated with…
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This year closes with strong cement and concrete market indicators, especially considering investor enthusiasm for publicly held clinker capacity. Consider activity among New York Stock Exchange-traded operators since Labor Day: Summit Materials announced a cash and stock deal for Argos North America Corp., its $3.2 billion valuation reflecting cement production and distribution assets in Alabama, Florida, South Carolina and West…
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Two years of major gestures surrounding greenhouse gas emissions in cement and concrete production or procurement solidify California’s reputation for incubating policy. In October 2021, the California State Senate passed SB 596, charting a regulatory course for Golden State cement producers to attain net-zero carbon operations by 2045. The California Nevada Cement Association concurrently published an SB 596 action plan,…
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