The world's foremost resource on decorative concrete
As sustainable as it is durable, concrete offers an endless array of cost-effective possibilities and versatile results for residential and commercial buildings
Green was a hot topic at this year’s World of Concrete show. It seemed that every exhibitor had some mention of green in their displays. In some cases this seemed to be little more than lip service, but in other cases, some very real steps are being taken towards greener concrete.
Imagine homeowners having the choice of covering their walls with paint, wallpaper, tile – or concrete panels 1/4 inch thin. Or new homes built with precast modular exterior walls up to 20 feet high that can be manufactured off-site and snapped in place in a few hours.
As part of its effort to improve the environment through green product offerings, L.M. Scofield Co. has developed Solachrome Integral Coloring Treatment for High-SRI Concrete.
When good floor coatings go bad, moisture is often the culprit.
Even cured concrete can emit enough moisture to blister, cloud or delaminate a coating, especially when a slab with no vapor barrier sits on ground with poor drainage. The manufacturers of overlays, microcoatings, sealers and specialty coatings set moisture tolerance limits for their products.
High-performance fibers made of PVA, which is short for polyvinyl alcohol, were developed some 20 years ago. When added to concrete or mortar, the fibers develop a molecular and chemical bond with the cement during hydration and curing. The result: concrete with high tensile strength and amazing ductility.
We are just at the tip of a big green iceberg that your company’s ship is sailing toward at full speed. As the IGCC becomes more recognized, many states, counties and cities are sure to adopt it as part of their building code.
This house, built in San Mateo County, Calif., by Cheng Design, has the fingerprints of acclaimed precast-piece designer Fu-Tung Cheng all over it.
Concraft Concrete Construction, Leesburg, Va., submitted photos to us last year of decorative concrete work the company was wrapping up at a new home in Great Falls, Va., just outside of Washington, D.C.
When evaluating the carbon footprint of concrete, we consider the greenhouse gases released during cement manufacturing, aggregate mining, admixture production, and transportation of all the materials to the cement plant and the ready-mix plant and then to the job site. Although there are other sources contributing to the carbon footprint of concrete, cement is the bad actor, despite the fact that we couldn’t make concrete without it.
The working conditions weren’t those of a stateside project, but the objective was the same: Build a skate park that had the smooth curves and flawless finishes of any topnotch park in the U.S. Learn how this contractor skated to perfection.
