Summit Materials Inc., Denver, has acquired Sierra Ready Mix, LLC, which serves the Las Vegas market from one sand & gravel pit and two concrete plants. The deal brings the suitor’s largest integrated materials and road-building business, Kilgore Companies, into a fourth state, Nevada, alongside Utah, Idaho and Wyoming.
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After winning “Best in Show” at a local Home and Garden show, students from the Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology’s (CPI) Horticulture and Landscaping program in Pleasant Gap, Pa., permanently installed their patio design at a veteran’s home through EP Henry’s HeroScaping program.
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Keen on lower carbon alternatives to portland cement-only binders, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology has published Technical Note 1906, Minimizing Paste Content in Concrete Using Limestone Powders — Demonstration Mixtures. Researchers cite target performance levels in concrete mixtures with up to 28 percent lower portland cement content using a binary blend with limestone powder.
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The First International Interactive Symposium on Ultra High Performance Concrete, July 18-20 at the Des Moines (Iowa) Marriott Downtown Hotel, will assemble material science and concrete professionals, structural and bridge engineers, students, producers and building enthusiasts. More than 75 papers from internationally renowned experts on concrete will be presented, and interactive panels and thematic workshops will offer insight on UHPC basics; latest developments in material design and characterization; architectural, bridge and infrastructure applications; structural design and component modeling; and, rehabilitation and retrofit.
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In collaboration with the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association and San Francisco-based architectural/engineering giant Arup North America Ltd., the Ready Mixed Concrete Research & Education Foundation has funded development of NRMCA Ingredient Reporting Guidance, detailing how concrete producers can contribute toward the LEED v4 Materials and Resources: Building Product Disclosure and Optimization – Material Ingredients credit. To position customers for up to two LEED v4 M&R credit points, producers must obtain comprehensive information on the material ingredients and chemical constituents of all components used in their mixtures.
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The 2016 International Concrete Sustainability Conference offered the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association a backdrop to debut a design/build community roundtable discussion series highlighting the strength and durability of cast-in-place concrete in low- to mid-rise buildings. Moderator and NRMCA Senior Vice President, Structures and Sustainability Lionel Lemay invited panelist perspectives on value engineering; life-cycle considerations and project specifications; plus, the limits of building code trade-offs and combustible building materials:
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More than 300 producers, design and engineering professionals, and academics from 30-plus countries who attended the International Concrete Sustainability Conference (ICSC) and 6th North American Conference on Design and Use of Self-Consolidating Concrete (SCC 2016) saw the green building revolution’s profound influence on the past two decades’ most consequential mix technology.
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Agency, academic and private sector officials assessed long-range infrastructure planning against demographic changes, technology developments and funding mechanisms during a Northwestern University Transportation Center-hosted symposium, staged to release the Association of Equipment Manufacturers-commissioned “Mobility 2050” study.
Read MoreSources: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill.; CP staff
The latest report from the PCA Market Intelligence Apparent Use series confirms the role residential and commercial building activity played in last year’s 3.7 percent portland cement shipment gain over 2014, and offsetting volume lost from lower street & highway sector material demand.
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The Associated Builders and Contractors 2016 Safety Performance Report — Understanding the Impact of Safety Training Evaluation Process (STEP) Participation documents proactive practices’ potential to reduce recordable incidents up to 86 percent, making the best-performing builders and contractors 700-plus percent safer than the industry average. Six leading indicators have the most dramatic impact: substance abuse program; new hire and site-specific safety orientations; toolbox talks; near-miss/near-hit analyses; and, site safety committee.
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