Concrete

The Texas Ranger’s new facility, Globe Life Field in Arlington, features two really cool aspects to its precast walls. First is aesthetics. The process to “distress” the walls and create a travertine-like appearance/an ability to create “blocks” of the distressed walls in a pattern that the architect deemed “consistently inconsistent.”Second is performance. Its retractable roof means that baseball will be played under a roof on very hot summer days, so the exterior walls needed to have insulating ability. The CarbonCast walls from Altus feature a core of XPS continuous insulation to reduce energy consumption. Carbon fiber grid wythe connectors are us

Advances

Concrete

Rock Solid

The Biomimicry Institute and the Ray C. Anderson Foundation have announced this year’s Ray of Hope Prize has been awarded to ECOncrete Tech., a science-based company that develops environmentally sensitive concrete products for coastal and marine infrastructure projects. Inspired by beach rock formations, coral polyps, oyster shells, mangrove roots, and other marine habitats and life forms, the proprietary technology is based on three science-based elements that work in synergy: Bioenhancing concrete admix, rough surface texture, and locally attuned 3D design that fosters the growth of native plants and facilitate the growth and regeneration of local marine species, while strengthening

Apple Central & Wolfe Campus, Sunnyvale, Calif.

Case Study

Concrete

Buying Into a ‘Zero’ Vision

In September 2015, the 815,000-sq.-ft. Sunnyvale, Calif., office research and development campus known as Central & Wolfe[LW1], was leased to Apple in what turned out to be the largest, single new office lease in the United States that year.The complex consists of three connected four-story office buildings, each with an internal courtyard, and a two-story standalone amenity building featuring cafés, banking, athletic courts, retail and restaurants. The central quad features an open plaza, detailed landscaping, public art, a 500-person sunken amphitheater, a large dining terrace, outdoor pavilions and café chairs and tables.All employees will be within a 2.5-minute walk (or less) from th

Advances

Paving Systems

World’s First Precast Products Manufactured with CO2-Cured Solidia Concrete

EP Henry, in collaboration with Solidia Technologies, a cement and concrete technology start-up, has introduced the world’s first products made with low-carbon Solidia Concrete. Using LafargeHolcim’s Solidia Cement as its base, which requires lower temperatures during production and thereby emits less carbon, Solidia Concrete products are cured with CO2 instead of water, reducing their overall carbon footprint up to 70% compared to traditional concrete.Through their combined research and development efforts, the firms demonstrated the many benefits of Solidia Concrete over traditional ordinary Portland cement-based products, including enhanced color vibrancy, the near elimination

Case Study

Thermal & Moisture Control

A Concrete Approach for High-Performing Enclosures

Precast concrete construction supports a high-performing enclosure delivering thermal performance, material transparency and efficient construction. While all designers want to achieve buildings that are aesthetically pleasing to owners and occupants, the stakes are even higher when designing housing for artists. Serving as a home away from home for art students, the Barbara A. Marshall Residence Hall required an AEC strategy capable of delivering a pleasing aesthetic, meeting an aggressive production schedule, and delivering impressive thermal performance. The tyranny of the clock—or more precisely the calendar—also posed a challenge. While it has been said that great art cannot

Case Study

Concrete

Getting Back on Track with Style

With a concentrated effort to revitalize the downtown of Cliffside Park, N.J., Park Town Centre—13 stories of rental apartments atop a two-story retail level—was eyed as a way to bring new energy into a tired business district. Find a more efficient and cost-effective structural façade system to complete a planned mixed-use development that ran into economic issues. Town officials in Cliffside Park, N.J., had big plans for revitalizing their downtown when they began assembling properties for a new, signature mixed-use development back in 2002.

Advances

Stone/Masonry

Are you a Blockhead?

Precision-manufactured Comfort Block concrete masonry units fit together so tightly they can be assembled into walls using masonry adhesive, rather than mortar. When paired with matching EPS inserts, they also create a highly efficient wall system with an estimated effective R-value of up to 30 or higher.

Johnson Wax Company Headquarters, Racine, Wisc.

Advances

Concrete

Indelible Drawings Carved in Concrete

Precast concrete is one of the most durable and economical building materials, can be expressed in unique and artful applications. The offices of Foster + Partners architects embraced an intriguing process innovation in a precast application in Fortaleza Hall at the newest addition to the Johnson Wax company headquarters in Racine, Wisc. The new building was built to commemorate the family’s journeys to Fortaleza, Brazil. Like a theater-in- the-round, it features a magnificent circular glass façade and roof rising two stories above a below-grade, conical reception hall with wooden mosaic floors and precast concrete walls. The precast walls feature a subtle grayscale mural of a Brazilian palm

Advances

Concrete

An Argument Against Precast Preconceptions

Often specified for its more utilitarian advantages, precast concrete might not be the exterior material of choice that first comes to mind for a signature high rise or cutting-edge boutique. However, Washington, D.C., architect Barry Habib, AIA, says the material offers numerous advantages for more workaday assignments, along with opportunities for creative expression for those willing to see a beauty that’s more than skin deep. “It is tough, it lasts a long time, it doesn’t leak if it’s installed correctly—and we’re getting a very good price for it,” says this principal with D.C.-based Shalom Baranes Assocs. Plus, the speed with which precast exteriors can be assembled can be a boon for pr

Case Study

Concrete

Racing Against the Canadian Winter

After a late August start, LA Fitness looks to Fabcon Precast to get a new location enclosed before winter sets in. LA Fitness is no stranger to structural precast. Building in Canada, however, is different in that structural precast is still a novel idea, and its load-bearing qualities are under-utilized compared to the United States. As a result, the project's structural engineers weren't entirely sure where their job would end and where the precaster's might begin. With an Ontario winter on the doorstep, it was imperative that the entire team got on the same page, and quickly—or run the risk of an extended timeline and additional costs. Structural precast panels ar

Architectural Products

Concrete

Travertine Finish on a Ball Park? Look Closely

Rock Solid

Buying Into a ‘Zero’ Vision

World’s First Precast Products Manufactured with CO2-Cured Solidia Concrete

A Concrete Approach for High-Performing Enclosures

Getting Back on Track with Style

Are you a Blockhead?

Indelible Drawings Carved in Concrete

An Argument Against Precast Preconceptions

Racing Against the Canadian Winter