Decorative Design

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…

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New Year, New Home Trends

Zillow has unveiled its data-driven predictions for the features and design elements poised to dominate homes in the new year. From the raw appeal of brutalism to cold plunge pools, these emerging trends highlight new post-pandemic pastimes and a nostalgia for past styles. To discern these trends, Zillow looked at nearly 300 home features and design styles mentioned in for-sale…

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Energy storage colossus

Grid-scale solutions developer Energy Vault Holdings Inc. is nearing completion of an inordinate lattice- and cage-like structure destined to rank among top long duration energy storage systems deployed to date. Rising on a site adjacent to a wind farm in Rudong, China, the reinforced concrete behemoth bears the world’s first EVx Gravity Energy Storage System. The structure and its hoisting…

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Powerful Protection

The T Security Wall from Highland, Mich.-based Advance Concrete Products Co. affords robust perimeter protection for the United States’ first fully digital, plug-and-play, transmission-voltage substation. One Energy Enterprises Inc. built the facility at its Findlay, Ohio headquarters as a proof of concept for a new digital station architecture. Along with physical security attributable to precast concrete elements, the substation is…

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Concrete masonry commons

The National Concrete Masonry Association Education & Research Foundation and Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture have named 2023 Concrete Masonry Student Competition winners. The program challenged students to use concrete masonry products as the primary material in the design of a Community Commons for indoor or outdoor gathering, play and shelter. Jurors representing the University of Illinois, Universidad de…

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A new dimension in home building

Fly ash market leader Eco Material Technologies and builder Hive 3D have unveiled the first 3D-printed homes at The Casitas @ The Halles, a Round Top, Texas development featuring 400- to 900-sq.-ft. studio, single-bedroom or two-bedroom models. The mortar-like ink for the single-level homes utilizes Eco Material’s PozzoCEM Vite, a full portland cement replacement binder. Hive 3D previously printed a…

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A critical conduit for ocean wave energy

Dallas-based engineering giant Jacobs has completed work for infrastructure underpinning Oregon State University’s ocean wave energy testing facility in Seal Rock, Ore. The first commercial-scale U.S. installation of its kind, PacWave South allows up to 20 wave energy converters of various designs to be tested in real-world conditions seven miles off the coast. The project includes four steel conduits up…

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Rock the Block

Residential siding products from Georgia-based Nichiha USA, a premier manufacturer of fiber cement cladding, were an integral part of the winning house on the recently completed fourth season of “Rock the Block,” which airs on HGTV. Nichiha worked directly with Michel Smith Boyd, the victorious designer, donating products that would help him realize his vision for the project. Boyd and…

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Concrete Innovations Awards 1.0

Build With Strength, a National Ready Mixed Concrete Association initiative, named individuals or companies earning 2023 Concrete Innovation Awards at a ceremony dovetailing the ConExpo-Con/Agg show in Las Vegas. A panel of five judges selected winners, recognizing their commitment to improving the resilience, performance and sustainability of concrete. Premier Concrete Innovation Awards recipients, by category, are:  Innovative Person or Team.…

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Catching waves, saving shores

Aquatic restoration specialist Sea & Shoreline LLC and wave attenuation and erosion technology leader Living Shoreline Solutions Inc., both of Florida, have entered a joint venture to focus on multitrophic projects that restore, enhance, and protect coastal communities from severe storms, while also improving water quality through nature-based solutions such as seagrass restoration and creation of essential fish habitats.  Sea…

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