Precast Solutions Weekly

Precast Solutions Weekly features one construction project or news item each week that is associated with the precast concrete industry. These features range from rural highway work to the legislative changes in our nation's capital that continue to shape the face of the industry. Visit www.precast.org weekly for the latest from Precast Solutions Weekly.

For the week of Jan. 21 - 27, 2007

There is hope: A recent visit to Miami by USGBC CEO Richard Fedrizzi spread the good word of green building to developers.

The skyline in Miami is a reminder of South Florida’s explosion in tower construction over the last decade. Three 60-story-plus mixed-use towers are under construction right now in the city’s downtown with another nine approved for construction soon. Four even taller towers have been proposed with an end date of 2010, two of them planned for 106 stories, and if built, would become the tallest concrete residential towers ever built.

While Miami's focus has been trend-setting in the skyscraper arena, it seems it may have lost sight of what could be an even hotter trend - building eco-friendly.

Miami’s saturated skycraper market has recently drawn attention by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). To the surprise and dismay of the Council, South Florida can’t account for even one LEED-credited structure. Of all the 512 skyscrapers in the city’s metro, not to mention all the thousands of other structures eligible for LEED certification, not one is USGBC-approved. However, a reported handful of Miami’s current towers under construction are being considered for LEED creditation, according to the Miami Herald’s recent article, “Green building is growing.”

2006 Archive
Precast Fencing Market Strong (Jan. 14-21)
New MGM Grand Detroit Clad in Precast (Jan. 7-13)
Post Office, Parking Garage Lead Start of Denver Justice Center (Dec. 31-Jan. 6)
Precast at Detroit Auto Show (Dec. 17-23)
Precast Dubai (Dec. 10-17)
Locker Rooms Ready Ahead of Bowl Game (Dec. 3-9)
Suspended Paving at World Trade Center (Nov. 26 - Dec. 2)
Precast Skyway is an Ohio Feat (Nov. 19 - 25)
Time-Tested and AIA-Approved (Nov. 12-18)
Like Boston's Big Dig, Only Smaller (Nov. 5 - 11)
Iowa Builder Introduces Glass Mosaic and Precast (Oct. 29 - Nov. 4)
HUD Gives Nod to Precast Panels (Oct. 22-28)
Texas Educators Choose Precast for Expansion (Oct. 15-21)
Concrete Countertops 202 (Oct. 8-14)
Aloha, Precast Walls (Oct. 1-7)
Precast Home Popularity Soars (Sept. 24-30)
No More Patching Patches (Sept. 17-23)
Small but Not Small-Minded (Sept. 10-16)
National Parks Replace Jons with Precast Concrete (Sept. 3 - 9)
Gains Bigger When Building Underground (Aug. 27 - Sept. 2)
Back to Baseball in Florida (Aug. 20-26)
Colorado State Employees Enjoy a New, Larger Precast Concrete Garage (Aug. 13-19)
Big Dig Scrap Turns into Big Digs (Aug. 6-12)
'Idea House' is Testing Ground for Eco-Friendly Living (July 30 - Aug. 5)
Reliance on Wood Fades with New Precast Log Home Design (July 23-29)
Constraints of House Design Prompts Precast (July 16-22)
HGTV Eyes Precast Tiles for Kitchen Rehab (July 9-15)
Precast Concrete Countertop Makers Hit the Books (July 2 - 8)
Precast Concrete Sections Support $4 Billion Seattle Light Rail (June 25 - July 1)
High-end Living Without the Fat Price Tag (June 18-24)
Welcome to Bangor, Maine (June 11-17)
Blending In (June 4-10)
Carving Out a Niche (May 28-June 3)
NYDOT Tests Precast Road Slabs (May 21-27)
Floridians Drawn to Precast Panel Home Construction (May 7-13)
Notice: Overnight Delay Expected. Is That All? (April 30 -May 6)
Precast Rehab at Doyle Field (April 23-29)
Bridge-Building in the Bayou (April 16-22)
A New Paradigm in Botanical Research (April 9-15)
Solutions to an Inmate Influx (April 2-8)
NASA Supercomputer Selects Best Mix (March 26-April 1)
"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (March 12-18)
Custom Oil and Grit Separator (March 5-11)
Women in Concrete Forum (Feb. 19-25)
JE Hill's "Fear Factor" (Feb. 5-11)
Jenson Precast Rolls out Concrete Walls (Jan. 29-Feb. 4)
Osteopathic Medicine and Precast Concrete (Jan. 15-21)

2005 Archive
"Practical Precast" Home Building Demo (Dec. 25-31)
Concrete Countertop Training (Dec. 10-17)
Precaster's Donation Funds New School Construction (Dec. 4-10)
Washington Post Addresses New Construction in the Gulf ( Nov. 27-Dec. 3)
Kokomo Route 22 Bridge Replacement (Nov. 20-26)

Submit project proposals to Greg Snapper for future Weekly postings.