North American market prospects for the Hadrian X robot, equipped and programmed to place block or brick from a truck-mounted, telescoping boom assembly, have compelled Western Australia-based FBR Limited to prioritize 2024 delivery of a next-generation model to Florida. The Sunshine State is a natural fit for the machine’s commercial debut, owing to annual concrete masonry unit consumption in the…
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Patio Drummond, Canal Block shoulder CarbiCrete commercialization
On the heels of increasing availability of its cement-free, carbon-negative binder through a Lafarge Canada production agreement, CarbiCrete has announced a doubling of signature block output at Patio Drummond, Quebec neighbor and premier binder user. The CarbiCrete process substitutes portland cement with a steel slag binder and brings carbon dioxide into the concrete masonry curing phase, where the gas is…
Read MoreORCO Block & Hardscape VP Echternach named successor to CEO Muth
Sources: ORCO Block & Hardscapes, Stanton, Calif.; CP staff ORCO Block & Hardscape CEO Rick Muth has assumed a new role as chairman and appointed Dave Echternach as his successor. Echternach has a nearly 20-year track record of leadership success at the southern California concrete masonry operator, serving as sales manager and vice president. He joined ORCO after tours of…
Read MoreTwo structures down, two to go for PCA, CTLGroup campus demolition contractor
Source: CP staff The former Portland Cement Association and CTLGroup campus along Old Orchard Road in Skokie, Ill. is giving way to a residential and commercial development befitting valuable acreage just north of Chicago and in close proximity to Interstate 94. Demolition commenced in late 2023 on four buildings that for decades supported one of the world’s principal cement and…
Read MoreCement-free face mix premiers on Unilock EcoTerra series pavers
Sources: Unilock LLC, Toronto; CP staff Major hardscape unit producer Unilock is ushering a new, greener era with EcoTerra paving stones, whose face mixes are formulated with carbon-neutral, alkali-activated mineral binder. The mix design yields a highly durable, colorfast product with carbon metrics up to 15 percent below those of paving stones molded with portland cement face and base mixes.…
Read MoreConcrete 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…
Read MoreFive earn Concrete Masonry Student Competition recognition
Source: Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association, Herndon, Va. The National Concrete Masonry Association Education & Research Foundation and Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture have named 2023 Concrete Masonry Student Competition leaders. The program challenged students to use concrete masonry products in the design of a Community Commons for indoor or outdoor gathering, play and shelter. Jurors representing the University…
Read MorePrometheus bio-concrete aces leading sound absorption test
Sources: Prometheus Materials, Boulder, Colo.; CP staff Prometheus Materials, developer of bio-cement and bio-concrete technology debuting in molded, dry cast products, reports strong performance of 2-in. thick specimens subjected to ASTM C423-23, Standard Test Method for Sound Absorption and Sound Absorption Coefficients by the Reverberation Room Method. Testing at the Johns Manville Technical Center in Littleton, Colo., determined that the…
Read MoreCMHA honors safety performance across block & paver value chain
Sources: Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association, Herndon, Va.;CP staff The Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association has named 2022 Safety Award recipients: 158 block, paver or manufactured stone veneer producers, allied manufacturers or suppliers, and contractors or installers. The annual program honors CMHA members demonstrating a commitment to the well-being of their employees and work environment. Participants earn awards by submitting…
Read MoreFirst Out of the Gate
Blair Block starts up CarbonBuilt-equipped CMU production line Childersburg, Ala.-based Blair Block is the premier operator to adopt the carbon dioxide-capturing and -mineralizing technology of CarbonBuilt, enabling promotion of concrete masonry units whose embodied carbon characteristics are 70-100 percent lower than traditional blocks. The CarbonBuilt technology replaces most of the portland cement typically used in CMU mix designs with a…
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