Obama library case speaks volumes about contract priorities and contractor selection

A lawsuit involving the concrete and rebar contractor on the Obama Presidential Center (OPC), Chicago, is a study in contract awarding criteria for challenging cast-in-place structural and architectural work. It highlights the importance of proven field experience coupled with firm understanding of construction documents respecting ACI 318, Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete and Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute guidance. The…

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ACI releases 2023 Collection of Concrete Codes

Source: American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, Mich.; CP staff The 2023 ACI Collection of Concrete Codes, Specifications, and Practices includes dozens of newly published documents, led by ACI 440.11 “Code Requirements for Structural Concrete Reinforced with Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) Bars.” The Collection is the most comprehensive and largest single source of information on concrete design, construction, materials, and repair,…

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RMC Foundation report: Optimize low-rise C-I-P wall reinforcement

Sources: RMC Research & Education Foundation, Alexandria, Va.: CP staff A new RMC Research & Education Foundation report states the case for engineers, practitioners and code officials to consider design loads versus prescriptive reinforcement requirements for concrete walls framing low-rise buildings in moderate or lower seismic zones.  “Simulation-based Investigation of the Performance of Low-rise Concrete Walls with Low Reinforcement Ratios”…

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ACI sets 24-city schedule for 318-14 Building Code seminar

Source: American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, Mich.

The American Concrete Institute is offering a seminar in 24 cities, February–May, on the newly-released ACI 318-14, Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete and Commentary. The new ACI 318-14 represents the first major change in Code organization in over 40 years and has been completely reorganized from a designer’s perspective.

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Engineer-friendly ACI 318-14 debuts after code’s exhaustive reorganization

Sources: American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, Mich.; CP staff

Gathering in Washington D.C. for its fall convention, ACI officially released the completely reorganized ACI 318-14: Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete, to be referenced in 2015 International Building Code.

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