On the heels of a survey showing that 90 percent of architects scout the Internet for information on green building, Portland Cement Association has launched
On the heels of a survey showing that 90 percent of architects scout the Internet for information on green building, Portland Cement Association has launched a new online resource, www.ConcreteThinker.com, as a clearinghouse of case studies, energy models, and other tools to help design professionals advance sustainable development. A first in the industry, PCA contends, the site offers solutions for energy efficiency, disaster resistance, and indoor air quality. PCA is working to properly equip architects Û on the job and in the classroom Û with the right tools and creative license to put their sustainable design ideas into practice, notes Director of Sustainable Development David Shepherd. ConcreteThinker.com is a virtual think tank for architectural thought leaders.
The green building trend is not only driving the industry but is permeating the classroom as well, and PCA hopes to fuel innovative concrete thinking among aspiring architects. The group recently teamed with the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture to sponsor an international student design competition. The Concrete Thinking for a Sustainable World contest was one of the first administered by ACSA to focus on sustainability, open to all designs exemplifying the versatility available when building with concrete. At the American Institute of Architects 2006 National Convention and Design Exposition in Los Angeles earlier this year, PCA named the winning project Û Concrete and Straw: Fusion Û which exhibits sustainable strengths of two of the world’s oldest building materials.