Successful deployments of treatment technologies for substandard coal combustion products (CCP) signal decades of Class F fly ash supplies for North American concrete producers. Such assurance stands regardless of specification-grade ash availability reflecting power generating station coal to natural gas conversions—or the pace of a broader energy sector shift from fossil fuels to alternative sources. With 6 percent to 15…
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Charlotte-based Concrete Supply Co. signals Carolinas market leadership in a new ready mixed operation serving Greenville-Spartanburg, the heart of upstate South Carolina. Rated at 300-yd./hour, the twin-alley, transit mixed plant occupies just under half of a 20-acre Spartanburg site. It replaces a 1960s’ era, 120-yd./hour central mixed plant that had evolved under Metromont LLC, Greenville, RMC Industries, Atlanta, and Cemex…
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White House and Department of Labor (DOL) staff attempts to lower contractor margins and raise public-construction costs hit a roadblock late last month in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Lubbock Division. Associated General Contractors of America-led plaintiffs prevailed in a challenge to three provisions in the DOL’s “Updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulations” final rule,…
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A visit with 2024 Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association Chair Sam Hoehner Two years out from the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute and National Concrete Masonry Association unification, the successor organization’s board chair sees a groundswell of indicators favoring members, allied interests and architectural, engineering and construction parties, concluding, “I can’t think of a better time to be a part…
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The White House and General Services Administration have marked the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)-funded low embodied carbon (LEC) construction materials procurement program pilot, noting “a dramatic increase of thousands more environmental product declarations used to identify sustainably-manufactured construction materials over the past year. EPDs are a key tool for gaining visibility into a product’s environmental impacts…
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We reflect this month on 2024 National Ready Mixed Concrete Association convention notables: Committee awards and Chairman Nathan McKean’s enthusiastic industry view. Here, we extend the Florida gathering’s salutes to NRMCA Executive Vice President, Operations and Compliance Gary Mullings, who has retired from day-to-day duty after 50-plus years with the organization. Luckily, he continues as a consultant, primarily assisting the…
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Under the pretense of concerns tied to the economy, infrastructure and national security, powerful interests oppose a takeover of United States Steel Corp. (USS) by Japan’s Nippon Steel Corp. The deal is set to close in the third quarter pending USS shareholder approval, voting for which is scheduled this month. In a statement following USS board acceptance of a Nippon…
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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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