CPCOZ: Concreete alternatives add value to construction

As the price of lumber increases and the quality decreases, the industry is searching for other methods of framing our buildings.

Concrete can provide building options concrete block, tilt-up, precast panels, cast-in-place and insulating concrete forms.

Concrete blocks are very common to us.

We see them in schools, churches, and other commercial and industrial applications.

Sometimes the blocks are filled with concrete and sometimes not.

While not as common, some residential applications can be recognized.

Some of the Springfield Partnership Industrial Park projects are tilt-up construction.

Walls and building elements are typically cast on site and lifted into place. Advantages include speed of construction, durability, and design flexibility.

This type of construction was first used around the turn of the century and has become more popular since the '40s as advancements were made in mobile cranes and ready-mixed concrete.

Precast panels are produced off site and delivered and installed. These engineered panels, also durable, can be seen at Southwest Missouri State University's Plaster Sports Complex, Greene County Judicial Facility, First USA and the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce building.

Cast-in place-concrete construction also is evident on the SMSU campus in the science and industrial arts buildings.

The newest-to-us use of concrete is placement into insulating concrete forms.

These EPS (foam) units are placed on site and filled with concrete.

This thermal mass creates the equivalent of about R-40 insulation and eliminates almost all sound from outside the structure.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is requiring some of this construction for "safe rooms" in rebuilding in tornado-damaged areas.

In southwest Missouri, most insulating concrete form installations are residential.

Several commercial applications are being reviewed, and there is a possibility of these forms being manufactured locally.

Initial cost of an ICF structure appears to be 3 percent to 7 percent higher than wood-frame construction.

The insurance and energy savings quickly make up this difference. Some lending institutions will give a lower interest rate because of the resale value of these buildings.

Concrete buildings provide resistance to fire, provide reduced heating and cooling costs and reduce sound.

Are there other concrete advantages? Yes!

Semi-trailer trucks traveling long distances on concrete pavement use up to 20 percent less fuel.

Concrete pavements and parking lots require fewer light standards and promote safety because of greater reflectivity.

A life-cycle comparison of concrete and other pavement surfaces is available.

Concrete is considered a "green" product and is environmentally sound.

The construction industry is becoming aware of its many advantages. More information is available from Hannah Textor at the Concrete Promotion Council of the Ozarks, 833-9539.

(M. Elise Crain is marketing manager for Increte of the Ozarks.)