NPCA’s Sustainability Awards competition rewards excellence in sustainable products, practices and operations within NPCA membership, and to publicize the overall progress of the precast concrete industry toward sustainability.
The awards are divided into four categories: Producer Plant, Producer Project, Associate Plant and Associate Product. For complete descriptions of this year’s winning projects, please visit precast.org/awards.
Producer Category
First Place Project
Smith-Midland Corp.
(www.smithmidland.com)
Project: Nelson Harvey Facility, Johns Hopkins Medicine Campus
Location: Baltimore, Md.
After decades of wear, the hand-laid brick envelope of the nine-story Nelson Harvey facility on the Johns Hopkins Medicine Campus in Baltimore began failing. The architects needed a solution that met two criteria: one, a system lightweight enough to prevent any need for additional superstructure or foundation costs; and two, that the facility would be able to stay operational during the exterior renovation.
The Smith-Midland SLENDERWALL system met both requirements. Its unique composite construction allowed for the recladding to take place without removing the old fascia. The project included 158 SLENDERWALL panels with an Endicott brick facing, maintaining continuity with the original exterior. Smith-Midland also applied its closed-cell “H20ut”foam insulation sealant to the panels. These options will provide savings in time and on-site trades, and insurance against air and water infiltrations. The project is to be certified under Baltimore City’s Green Stars program, which is equivalent to LEED Silver.
First Place Plant
Shea Concrete Products
(www.sheaconcrete.com)
Plant: Solar Power
Location: Amesbury, Mass.
Shea Concrete went solar in the summer of 2013. The Shea facility in Amesbury powered up on Aug. 30 with a new American-made, $1.4 million solar panel system installed on the roof of the plant. The 1,184 SunPower solar panels will produce an estimated 421,000 kw-hours per year. This makes Shea Concrete a Net-Zero electrical energy consumer, meaning that the solar panel system generates enough electricity to fully power the Amesbury location without requiring any additional sources of electricity. The panels, which are American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)-compliant, harvest an output that is on average 7% better than other panels annually and 20% more productive over the 25-year life of the system.
Producer Project Honorable Mentions
Northeast Precast LLC – Millville, N.J.
(www.northeastprecast.com)
Project: Bimbo Bakeries Building Thin-wall Panels
Northeast Precast LLC – Millville, N.J.
(www.northeastprecast.com)
Project: Boardwalk Casino and Townhouses
Associate Category
First Place Product
The Euclid Chemical Co.
(www.euclidchemical.com)
Product: TUF-STRAND SF Macro-Synthetic Fibers
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
The building sector is a major contributor to the carbon dioxide footprint in any developed community. One way that scientists refer to this footprint is by describing carbon dioxide equivalents or “CO2eq.” An important way to decrease the CO2eq associated with building practices is to use materials that have a smaller carbon footprint.
Polypropylene fiber reinforced concrete (PFRC) is a versatile and high-performance material particularly suited for concrete construction. The Euclid Chemical Co. recently partnered with the University of Akron in a research study to establish the benefits and potential reduction of CO2eq when using TUF-STRAND SF macro-synthetic fibers in concrete.
The results of the study indicated that the use of polypropylene fibers reduced the CO2eq emissions by 56% compared with steel reinforcement. This analysis can be carried over to applications within the precast concrete industry to help reduce CO2eq.
First Place Plant
The Euclid Chemical Company
(www.euclidchemical.com)
Plant: “People, Plant, Prosperity”
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
The Euclid Chemical Co. continues to recognize that sustainability is a critical driver to both company success and employee satisfaction. Over the past several years, multiple projects have been deployed at Euclid’s manufacturing facilities throughout North America to improve metrics on waste management, energy consumption, water use and safety. These initiatives are communicated to the company’s employees and customers to demonstrate its commitment to being a good neighbor and a respected business partner.
Recognizing that sustainability is a process, Euclid promotes the foundational values of “People, Plant and Prosperity,” where the social, cultural, environmental and economic factors of day-to-day business are blended into the global and political arena. The company has instituted a variety of programs to trim waste and curb energy use, and has established a Sustainability Leadership Team to track energy consumption and improve efficiency at its plants throughout North America.
Associate Product Honorable Mentions
W.R. Grace – Cambridge, Mass.
(www.grace.com)
Product: AIRtrac Air Management Technology
Hamilton Kent, LLC – Toronto, Ontario
(www.hamiltonkent.com)
Product: Watertight Box Culvert Joints
Associate Plant Honorable Mention
Hamilton Form Company – Forth Worth, Texas
(www.hamiltonform.com)
Plant: Improving Sustainable Manufacturing Processes
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