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 March 18 - 24, 2007

Spotlight to Fall on Precast When Builders, Press Meet

This spring, students and Illinois businesses build a storm-busting home for a low-income family in Aurora, Ill.

Precast concrete plays a big role in that construction when builders break ground on the project April 2. On site, precast walls will be assembled atop precast concrete footings, building a nearly indestructible frame. Once the walls are topped off and made home-ready, it will go up for sale specifically for those families with low household incomes.

The project is aimed at educating government, industry professionals and the public about mitigating damage caused by tornadoes and wind storms. Precast wall construction has been the subject of increased media attention as building efforts focus on sturdier products in Gulf Coast reconstruction.

The spotlight has fallen most recently on Dukane Precast, Naperville, Ill. The precast concrete manufacturer has drawn city, regional and national media attention for its precast concrete wall products, which are used in the Institute for Business and Home Safety’s Fortified…for safer living® homes. Dukane builds another Fortified home in Illinois this spring when it manufactures the precast concrete wall panels for the Aurora project.

Read the article in Precast Solutions, “Better Living Starts with Better Building in Illinois,” which reveals how precasters are working with homebuilders to construct precast concrete walls.

Photos of the groundbreaking will be available April 9 on Precast Solutions Weekly.

2006 Archive
Vegetated Walls (March 4-10)
JW Brand a First for the Midwest (Feb. 25 - March 3)
Precasters, Suppliers Meet in Orlando for MCPX (Feb. 11-17)
Precast Prison Projects on the Rise (Feb. 4 - 10)
South Florida Building Market Lacks LEED (Jan. 21-29)
Precast Fencing Market Strong (Jan. 14-20)
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.