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Royal Concrete Concepts (RCC), a manufacturer of pre-engineered concrete building systems, is adding eight dorm rooms totaling 5,000 square feet to Fire Station #32 in Hobe Sound, Fla.
Post-tensioned concrete construction is a little different than standard reinforced concrete construction. There are several construction issues with post-tensioned concrete that are found consistently among engineers and contractors. Understanding the causes of some of these problems should help...
Stairs play an important part in many projects. Providing both access and egress, stairs can be out of sight and infrequently used—such as in high-rise buildings—or they may be among the most prominent features at the gateway to a site.
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Five of the nation’s largest construction trade associations have teamed up to form the Construction Coalition for a Drug- and Alcohol-Free Workplace (CCDAFW).
Custom-built homes are commonly gracing glossy magazine covers. That's because people in the U.S. have been in love with the idea of owning a large elegant home. For architects and designers, there is more opportunity to present interesting ideas and work with unusual concepts. But with the decline...
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OSHA issued a Request for Information (RFI) that seeks comments on how to prevent injuries and deaths from reinforcing concrete activities.
The long-term consequences of a December 2008 accident at a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) electric generating plant in Kingston, Tenn., could change the way fly ash is used or disposed of in the United States for the foreseeable future.
Tilt-up construction continues to grow as a wide-spread building solution due to its advantages of efficiency, economy, and effectiveness.
Every site-cast tilt-up concrete construction project requires hard work and planning before the building can be erected. Watching the enormous concrete panels being lifted and set into place is an awe-inspiring event that occurs only with careful planning, hours of training and experience, and a...
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Building information modeling (BIM) is a buzzword in the AEC industry, but is it hype or substantive? First, one must understand that BIM is not just 3-D.
Contractors who build development or “tract” homes are concerned about the productivity that results from installing the same design and repeating the same procedures over and over again.
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To help determine the most efficient option for a project, a contractor should evaluate several forming systems. There are two choices: an inexpensive forming material that is labor-intensive, or a forming system that costs more, but provides high productivity, has built-in safety features, and is...
Mark Peters, deputy to the associate laboratory director at Argonne National Laboratory, says the public has three concerns about nuclear reactors: they must be safe from extreme forces of nature, they must not leak radiation and highly radioactive spent fuels must be recycled, not stored.
Use of an S-elbow on a concrete pump hose can lead to a dangerous situation.
After 56 years, the coal-fired power plant was worn out and obsolete. Corn Products International, Westchester, Ill., built the boilers and generators in late 1948 to provide steam and electricity for its manufacturing plant in Bedford Park, Ill. To replace this resource, Corn Products is now...
There are advantages to using volatile solvents in decorative coloring agents like dyes: They spray well and dry immediately, very controlled work can be achieved, they don't puddle and run, you can apply multiple coats very quickly, and they produce a “soft touch” effect.
Protecting your workers' hearing from excessive noise is not only required by OSHA but is the right thing to do. But what's excessive noise and how can you best take care of your workers?
Placing and finishing lightweight concrete can be a tricky and risky task. Success requires teamwork from the owner, architect/engineer, general contractor, ready-mix producer, and concrete contractor.
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The city is giving us trouble about an 8-inch-thick, cast-in-place reinforced concrete wall we want to build. They say we have to show them a fire rating for such a wall from an established agency, though they say they are ready to accept an 8-inch concre
Polished concrete is a very viable flooring option for commercial and retail facilities, as well as schools and factories.