Masonry robotics developer steers flagship machine toward U.S. premier

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…

Read More

Nmai, Khan anchor Master Builders Solutions Sustainability Group

Master Builders Solutions has formed a Concrete Sustainability Group aimed at positioning the admixture giant as a go-to knowledge provider for low embodied carbon concrete. The group will focus on fostering effective collaboration among architects, engineers, producers, and contractors to ensure successful outcomes of projects with low-embodied carbon concrete requirements. The company has tapped Director of Sustainability Dr. Charles Nmai,…

Read More

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 More

Jensen Precast seeds national Harvest Pillar trellis post program

After successful engineering demonstrations and initial West Coast installations, Nevada-based Jensen Precast is preparing national distribution of its Harvest Pillar prestressed concrete trellis posts for vineyards, orchards, nut farms, and hop yards. Built to last significantly longer than traditional trellis system alternatives, the structures are immune to pests, diseases, and weather events. “Harvest Pillar concrete posts will help growers save…

Read More

AltusGroup members log 35 million square feet of wall panels in 20 years

Embracing “precast innovation powered by collaboration” has positioned carbon fiber reinforced element licensor AltusGroup and producer members to sustain momentum in developing advanced commercial building enclosure solutions. “In the two decades since our founding, we’ve seen a deepened focus on energy savings, carbon footprint mitigation and on-site labor reductions, all amid an enhanced desire for aesthetic freedom and versatility,” says…

Read More

Argos USA merger positions Summit Materials as top five U.S. cement player

At levels just under 100 percent, Summit Materials Inc. shareholders approved proposals at the heart of a September 2023 agreement with Colombia-based Cementos Argos S.A., paving the path for a mid-January merger of Summit Materials and Argos North America Corp. Valued at $3.2 billion, the merger creates the fourth-largest U.S. cement producer—behind Holcim US, Heidelberg Materials and Ash Grove—and significantly…

Read More

Concrete Masonry Checkoff leaders eager to drive investor returns

Design, promotional and technical support for architectural and gray block in U.S. building markets will reach a new peak this year with the launch of 23 inaugural Concrete Masonry Checkoff (CMC) projects, funded with nearly $5 million from initial 2023 assessments. The projects contour the six programs that CMC directors defined in their November 2022 charter meeting—Codes & Standards, Design…

Read More

AGC suit makes union, nonunion case against White House PLA mandate

An Associated General Contractors of America and Louisiana AGC chapter suit filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana challenges the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council’s late-2023 final rule, per February 2022 White House executive order, mandating project labor agreements (PLA) on major federal construction work. The White House lacks the authority to impose sweeping labor policies that…

Read More

Brimstone, Sublime Systems executives join TIME100 Climate ranks

TIME USA LLC reporters and editors include in their inaugural TIME100 Climate list two officials of startup companies developing low carbon, specification-grade binders for full replacement of portland cement in concrete: Brimstone Vice President of Materials Science & Geology Marcelo De Oliveira, Ph.D.; and, Sublime Systems Co-Founder and Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor of Materials Science and Engineering Yet-Ming Chiang.…

Read More

Researchers confirm U-bolts’ role in to rebar cage safety

A Charles Pankow Foundation investigation geared to identifying fabrication and assembly practices curtailing rebar cage collapse or failure incidents confirms the potential of U-bolt hardware to replace tie wires commonly used in lateral and transverse bar connections and increase lateral strength. The Haymarket, Va. organization teamed with the American Society of Civil Engineers Construction Institute, University of Nevada, Reno and…

Read More