Holcim (US) Announces Ruiz as Deputy CEO

Bernard Terver, president and CEO of Holcim (US), a manufacturer and supplier of cement and mineral components, will join the Holcim Ltd. Executive Committee. Holcim Ltd. is the international parent company of Holcim (US).

As part of the “Holcim Leadership Journey,” an initiative that streamlines and strengthens operations, Terver also will assume responsibility for the new Group region of North America (Holcim (US), Holcim Canada, Aggregate Industries US) and the United Kingdom (Aggregate Industries UK). Filiberto Ruiz will serve as deputy CEO of Holcim (US) (HUS) and Aggregate Industries US (AIUS). Prior to his promotion, Ruiz was senior VP, sales & marketing for HUS.

Ruiz began his career with the Holcim Group in 1986 as electrical supervisor with Holcim Apasco, Mexico, later becoming plant manager. In 1999, Filiberto became regional vice president, manufacturing, HUS. He returned to Holcim Apasco as cement operations, VP, and moved back to HUS in 2006 as senior VP, manufacturing. He has been in his current role, senior VP, sales & marketing, since 2010.

Terver has been president and CEO of HUS since October 2008, and AIUS since 2010. In the same year, he also became area manager. Bernard joined Holcim in 1994, when his then employer, CEDEST, was acquired by Holcim France. In 1999, he became CEO of Holcim Colombia and in 2003 was appointed area manager for the Andes nations, Central America and the Caribbean.

OSHA, National Safety Council Renew Alliance

The Occupational Safety and HealthAdministration (OSHA) has renewed its Alliance with the National Safety Council (NSC) to continue enhancing worker safety and health by addressing construction hazards, injury and illness prevention programs and motor vehicle safety.

During the two-year agreement, the Alliance will develop fact sheets on the benefits of employers establishing an injury and illness prevention program, hazard identification and control topics that should be included in worker training, fall prevention and best practices for reporting near misses. The Alliance will also develop a case study on preventing falls from heights in construction, focusing on the causes of fall protection failures and how employers can assure an effective and reliable fall prevention program.

NSC is a non-profit, public service organization, founded in 1913, that offers training, educational programs and materials, consulting and advocacy on various safety and health topics. The organization represents 14,000 employers and more than six million workers employed by NSC members.

Through its Alliance Program, OSHA works with unions, consulates, trade and professional organizations, faith- and community-based organizations, businesses and educational institutions to prevent workplace fatalities, injuries and illnesses. The purpose of each alliance is to develop compliance assistance tools and resources, and educate workers and employers about their rights and responsibilities. Alliance Program participants do not receive exemptions from OSHA inspections or any other enforcement benefits. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/alliances/index.html.

LATICRETE Helps Create Ultimate Sports Basement

Today’s sports fans have more options than ever to show support for their favorite teams. From apparel to pennants, and novelty items like barbeque tongs and steak knives, nothing seems out of the ordinary when it comes to fan support. And when it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers, you can take that sentiment up another notch.

Such is the story of Mark Modine, whose basement in his North Haven, Conn., home features a mini football field and Steelers’ logo embossed on the floor. The idea came to personal trainer Modine after chatting with one of his clients, LATICRETE Chairman and CEO David Rothberg. One day during a workout session, Modine, who has some experience in the construction field, became enthralled with some of the products that Rothberg had mentioned from DRYTEK Innovative Flooring Solutions, a recent addition to the LATICRETE family of products.

“David was telling me about some of the different options that these products, especially the selfleveling one, were capable of performing,” Modine says. “I just couldn’t believe the opportunities these applications had. I kept asking, ‘Can you put it on this, and that?’ And he kept saying that you could. So I said, let’s try something creative at my house!”

Modine, who only lives 12 miles or so from the LATICRETE world headquarters in Bethany, Conn., was willing to be the test pilot for the new applications. And he had just the project. A die-hard Steelers’ fan, whose house is the “ultimate” sports palace on Sundays during the season, Modine wanted to try something different in his basement.

He envisioned having the Steelers’ logo embossed on his basement floor – the ultimate testament to the Black and Gold. “Even though he said that you could do practically anything with it, David kept stating that there were no guarantees how it would turn out unless installed correctly,” Modine says. “But every time he said, ‘you could, you could, you could;’ I said, ‘yes, yes, yes.’ I knew I could be the perfect test subject to see how this would all work. I told David that any of the small mistakes that we would make – and there were some through trial and error – would be left at my house.”

So Rothberg put a call into DRYTEK technical sales representative, Tom Leahy. Quickly, Leahy set up a meeting with Modine, at which he explained the various types of products and options available. After the meeting, Modine decided he wanted his basement to feature a black floor with the logo that the players’ wear on their helmets. He also wanted the logo to feature the words “Pittsburgh” and “Steelers.” Modine envisioned a mini football field, complete with two end zones, occupying the 400-square-foot space in his basement. The logo would serve as the 50-yard line, so to speak.

To help pull all the pieces together, Modine purchased the logo from Fathead, a licensed product manufacturer that supplies an array of decorative wall graphics. He also enlisted the help of Jo Rapisarda, senior graphic designer at LATICRETE. Rapisarda worked closely with Modine to create a template and design utilizing the black and gold colors for the logo, etc.

The first step in the process was to get rid of the excessive adhesive markings on the floor, which Leahy noticed during the initial meeting. The markings were a result of carpeting that previously was pulled off of the floor. This concrete pavement restoration technique is designed to help correct irregularities such as faulting and roughness. In this case, it was to smooth out the cracks and eliminate any leftover adhesive residue.

To further smooth out the floor, they put mesh tape on the cracks, and then laid down DRYTEK 104S Epoxy Primer, which would help further smooth out the cracks in the concrete. The two-component, high-solids epoxy primer, part of the DRYTEK Decorative Wear Surface System, is applied with a sand broadcast.

Next, DRYTEK 7400, a fast-drying, dual purpose, self-leveling cement in gray, was poured. The cement can be used both as a durable and attractive interior wear surface and as a high-performance underlayment for troubled substrates. To give the floor that Steelers look, Leahy poured a black liquid dye in the concrete, and then poured the floor, which took a day to dry.

The next steps included spraying one coat of LATICRETE epoxy primer (which takes eight to 12 hours to dry), positioning in the Fathead logo (followed by painting the “Pittsburgh” and “Steelers” word logos), spraying another coat of clear, and then adding a coat of LATICRETE SpectraLOCK Dazzle, which adds a metallic, micro-chip glittered look.

The last step involved using a spray that would lock in the micro chip glitter and give the emblem that shiny look. The team also sprayed yellow epoxy paint over the words ‘Pittsburgh’ and ‘Steelers’ in the logo.

“This is my first project that featured a Fathead logo,” Leahy says. “Custom jobs like this take a minimum of anywhere from four to five days to complete. When it was over, Mark was very happy with the way the project turned out. And now, when we show pictures of this project to prospective clients, they can see what we are able to do. It is leading to other custom jobs.”

- Written by Michael Pallerino

Cronholm Earns Certified Masonry Contractor Credential

Josh Cronholm, VP of Ammex Masonry, has earned the Certified Masonry Contractor (CMC) credential from the Rocky Mountain Masonry Institute, a nonprofit trade association of more than 100 companies throughout Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.

Principals and supervisory employees with at least five years of experience in masonry construction are eligible to enroll in the CMC credential program, which consists of 12 one- and two-day courses covering
every aspect of masonry design, construction, safety and management. Expert instructors have been recruited from the top ranks of the masonry research and industry community, including the Brick Industry Association, National Concrete Masonry Association and The Masonry Society.

Participants who attend all of the courses and pass the comprehensive examinations are awarded the designation of Certified Masonry Contractor. Certified Masonry Contractors are eligible to display the CMC logo on their business materials and are eligible to bid on projects that specify a certified masonry contractor.

ASSE Supports Effort to Prevent Construction Worker Falls

Each year thousands of workers are injured and 225 die from construction-related falls. In order to provide additional tools to prevent worker injuries and fatalities in the construction industry, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) is joining with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to support a new ‘Fall Prevention Campaign’.

The national campaign to raise awareness about how to prevent falls in construction is also supported by state governments, private industries, trade associations, academia and professional and labor organizations. It focuses on providing prevention information and training materials on three major types of falls: from roofs, from ladders, and from scaffolds. More than 10,000 construction workers were injured as a result of falling while working from heights in the United States and another 225 were killed in 2010.

Sokol went on to note that occupational safety, health and environmental (SH&E) professionals work with construction workers and employers on providing the safest workplaces possible as well as with personal protection equipment (PPE) aimed at protecting those workers in their environments, and more. This new effort will provide additional tools.

Some of the risks involve working on sloping roofs, from heights, at the edge of buildings, possible slipping, carrying equipment and more. To help construction workers stay safe, SH&E professionals also utilize ‘consensus standards’ such as Safety Requirements for Self-Retracting Devices for Personal Fall Arrest & Rescue Systems, Scaffolding Safety Requirements, and Emergency Procedures for Construction and Demolition Sites to name a few.

Additionally, ASSE’s largest practice specialty is the Construction Practice Specialty group, found at www.asse.org/practicespecialties/construction. This group, made up of top construction safety professionals with global experience, share best practices, produces a newsletter, meets annually and sponsors construction-related sessions at ASSE’s annual professional development conference in an ongoing effort to stay on the cutting edge of construction safety.

Thomson Receives ASTM International Walter C. Voss Award

Margaret Thomson, Ph.D., new business development technical director at Lhoist North America in Fort Worth, Texas, has received the Walter C. Voss Award from ASTM International. The Voss Award is presented annually to an engineer or scientist who has made notable contributions in the field of building technology. 

Thomson was honored by ASTM for her numerous contributions to the development of standards and specifications for the use of lime in construction applications, especially in the area of repair and maintenance of historic mortars.

A member of ASTM International since 1996, Thomson is vice chairman of Committee C07 on Lime and chairman of Subcommittee C07.06 on Physical Tests. She also serves as a member at large on the executive subcommittee of Committee C12 on Mortars and Grout for Unity Masonry and received the Award of Merit, ASTM's highest organizational recognition for individual contributions to ASTM standards activities, from the committee in 2011. She is also a member of ASTM Committees C01 on Cement, C15 on Manufactured Masonry Units and E60 on Sustainability.

Thomson joined Lhoist North America (formerly Chemical Lime Co.) as technical manager of Chemstar Type S Hydrated Lime in 1996. She was promoted to technical director, Western Sales Division, in 2009, and received her current title in 2011. Before Lhoist, she was a research scientist focusing on performance of lime-based mortar for masonry at the National Research Council Canada's Institute for Research in Construction. A graduate of University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, where she received a B.Sc. with honors in geology and a Ph.D. in geology, Thomson is also a member of the Masonry Society.

Two Holcim (US) Facilities Celebrate Safety Milestones

Holcim (US), a manufacturer and supplier of cement and mineral components, says its Ste. Genevieve and Ada plants reached employee safety milestones in May and July. The Ste. Genevieve and Ada plants marked three and five years, respectively, without a lost time injury. A lost time injury is defined as an accident resulting in an injury that requires the employee to take time off.

“These milestones are more than a point of pride for us, they demonstrate employees living our safety culture every day”, says Bernard Terver, president and CEO of Holcim (US). “Our employees have shown great commitment to implementing our universal safety measures. We’re extremely proud of the results and look forward to continued excellence.”

Marble Institute's Distelhorst to Retire

Garis Distelhorst will retire as executive vice president/CEO of the Marble Institute of America (MIA) at the end of 2012 after serving the industry group for 11 years. Jim Hieb, the current MIA VP, will move up to the executive vice president’s office on Jan. 1. Distelhorst’s retirement winds up a 43-year career as a senior-level association executive. Prior to joining the MIA in 2002, he served as he was CEO of the National Association of College Stores (NACS) for 17 years. Previously, he was a senior executive at Smith Bucklin, an association management firm in Washington.

During his 11-year tenure, Distelhorst oversaw the growth of MIA’s membership from the 600-company level to nearly 1,500; the establishment of the first professional accreditation for stone fabricators and installers; the expansion of the library of technical publications, videos, and web information resources for stone professionals and specifies, with the MIA’s bookstore offerings growing by more than 1,000 percent; and the creation of the Natural Stone Council, a federation of stone-industry associations that work on common industry issues like sustainability.

He also helped guide the transition of StonExpo into one of the largest stone shows in the United States; oversaw the development of groundbreaking safety training programs; created awards programs to recognize stone excellence and craftsmanship; guided the development of a regional education program plus stone education at Coverings, KBIS, AIA, and other shows; and spearheaded comprehensive, multifaceted outreach to architects and designers who specify building materials, including developing a successful continuing education program in partnership with the American Institute of Architects, the National Kitchen & Bath Association and others.

He also led the industry’s response to allegations about radon in granite that surfaced nationwide in the summer of 2008. Faced with a barrage of negative national media coverage, he marshaled a massive effort funded by MIA members to defuse the crisis with scientific evidence and assure consumers of granite’s safety.

Under his steady guidance, MIA turned a business-threatening challenge into a successful consumer education opportunity. The campaign produced millions of hits to MIA’s website and thousands of views of MIA’s “Truth About Granite” web video.

Kaman Industrial Technologies to Acquire Zeller Corp.

Kaman Corp. will acquire the assets of Zeller Corp. by its subsidiary Kaman Industrial Technologies Corp. (KIT). The acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. 

Zeller is a value-added distributor of electrical and automation components and solutions, including motion control, programmable logic controller-based automation, machine vision, electrical controls and power distribution products. A premier Schneider Electric distribution partner, Zeller also represents other quality manufacturers including Kollmorgen, Phoenix Contact, Rittal and Sick. Zeller employs 240 people, including 60 degreed engineers, and has operations in Rochester, Syracuse and Buffalo, N.Y.; Foxboro, Mass.; and Winston-Salem, N.C. Zeller expects full-year 2012 sales of about $80 million.

"The acquisition of Zeller Corp. is a very exciting addition for Kaman and our KIT distribution business – it extends and expands our automation and motion control product segment to include electrical controls and power distribution," says Neal J. Keating, chairman, president and CEO of Kaman Corp. "Further, it demonstrates our commitment to growing our distribution network, enhancing our value-add solutions capabilities, and complementing our strong mechanical and fluid power product platforms. We are also excited to welcome the strong management team and workforce at Zeller, led by Gary Haseley to the Kaman family. The Zeller team will enhance our ability to serve our customers and will bring a number of new tools and capabilities to the Kaman organization."

BIM a Tool for Sustainable Design

By Elrond Burrell

“BIM,” variously understood to be Building Information Model, Building Information Modeling or Building information Management, has become a buzz phrase in the U.K. construction industry, since last year’s Government Construction Strategy mandated fully collaborative 3D BIM as a minimum on all government projects by 2016. Before then, it had been an acronym only used by early adopters in the industry.

BIM is about developing an information-rich, three-dimensional building model, coordinated between different disciplines, so that the right information is available at the right point in the delivery process – theoretically from design and construction, through to facilities management, maintenance, future alterations or refurbishment, etc. At the moment, in the U.K., BIM is most developed at the design stage, and is starting to take off in the construction stage.

For a design consultant, this means getting into more sophisticated modeling software than 2D or 3D CAD. In BIM software, a virtual building is created with construction components, elements and materials and specification information all included.

Architype are among the early adopters, and we have been exploring and using BIM for over five years now. When we first started using BIM none of our consultants were ready or willing to engage in a collaborative 3D process. However, more recently, we have been working in teams where the Structural and M&E consultants have also started to embrace BIM, and we have been able to work with coordinated models from each discipline and see the wider benefits.

Structural and M&E elements can be seen in a 3D context, and it is far easier to simplify and coordinate across the disciplines. Structure clashing with building fabric, duct lengths and routes and plant room layouts are all good examples where we have seen immediate benefit from BIM – it’s a great way to spot and deal with nasty surprises at the design stage, rather than discovering them on site.

Even when we were doing BIM on our own (Lonely BIM), we found considerable benefits over our previous, more traditional, way of designing and documenting. Instead of drafting 2D drawings and surface based 3D models, we focused on creating an information-rich 3D building model.

While modeling sometimes takes longer than drafting (not always though), once the model is developed, drawings and schedules are quick to produce. These snapshots of the information already integrated into the model can be produced at any stage – whether for sketch and illustration purposes, presentation or contract documentation. Views can be presented as anything from rough sketches to technical drawings to photo-realistic renderings, all from the same building information model.

Producing drawings and schedules from a 3D information-rich model means that the views and information are inherently coordinated and current, whether presented graphically or numerically. It eliminates the need to cross-reference drawings, to trace over drawings, or to count or number doors and windows manually. In this way, BIM reduces considerable risk by removing many manual processes that easily lead to errors and inaccuracies.

The useful information available in the model reduces duplicate work. As well as room areas, the model contains room volumes; room schedules can include factors to convert room areas to treated floor area; and material and element quantities can all be scheduled. Additional views or drawings can be produced as and when required; sections can be cut through the building anywhere, 3D views can be set up to illustrate any view or part of the building.

Compared to a series of 2D drawings, so much more can be understood in the data-rich 3D model – by all parties involved. Structural and M&E elements can be seen where they really are in the building. Complexity can be spotted and simplified. We have found this valuable at every scale, from a large development, to a single building, right down to a specific detail.

BIM does not mean there has to be a single model floating “in the cloud” that everyone on the project works on at the same time. Architype uses a "confederated model" approach, whereby different specialties create (and own) their own linked models, based on shared master co-ordinates, and updates are shared regularly. Different approaches, including closer amalgamation, are also being explored in the industry, as are the issues of ownership and intellectual property rights.

But BIM neither replaces designers, nor replaces communication and discussion – the main benefit is it allows people to see and understand the different aspects of the design, and solve problems together, quickly and effectively.

So what about BIM for sustainable design?

We firmly believe that people, not software, design sustainable buildings. At Architype we use BIM to support our design process by focusing on productivity, quality assurance and on generating useful information from the model. Using BIM, we can remain sustainable-design-led in our approach, knowing that quality data and documentation can be produced swiftly. Even in this time of austerity, when programs are rushed and cut short, we can still find time for crucial client consultations, considered design development and project related research.

For instance, BIM played a critical role in the design and development of our award-winning Passivhaus schools, including one of the first in the U.K. The use of BIM allowed the team to focus on the vital detailed research and design development and coordination, rather than data and document production. BIM has also been a huge benefit in driving simplification of the M&E design and reducing thermal bridging.
Quality assurance – central to a sustainable building that works as intended – is another important benefit of BIM. Views generated from the model are consistent across all drawings, as are specification notes and schedules.

For Architype, useful information derived from BIM is mainly in the form of transparent data for entry into PHPP, and critical fabric issues such as airtightness details. We use BIM to schedule room areas (true and treated floor area), room volumes (true and occupied volume for ventilation), window and door sizes and heat loss areas.

We use the model to review the design with the contractor, and it helps us to resolve the design and buildability, as well as the thermal and airtight strategy. It’s easy to fudge an airtight line in a 2D section taken in a convenient location, but seeing it in 3D and moving the section to review all parts of the building quickly exposes this. Thermal bridges and penetrations through the fabric are just as quickly exposed in the same way.
In summary, we have found the benefits of BIM to be considerable. For us, BIM plays a vital role in sustainable design. By making us more productive, it gives us more opportunities for innovation – it frees our designers to design. BIM has proved an invaluable tool for the rigorous design that is essential for sustainable buildings that really deliver – both in radically reduced running costs, and in creating buildings that people love to use.

The information originally appeared at http://aecb.net. © 2012: Elrond Burrell and AECB

Elrond Burrell is a UK Architect and an Associate in Architype’s Hereford Office with over 8 years experience using BIM. He also speaks at conferences on sustainable design, BIM for SMEs and BIM for sustainable design. www.architype.co.uk; https://twitter.com/ElrondBurrell 

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Powered Access Awards Summit Scheduled for March

The International Awards for Powered Access (IAPAs) and the IPAF Summit conference will be held on March 26, 2013, at the Hilton Miami Downtown Hotel, Florida. This unmissable event combines educational and networking opportunities as well as celebrating excellence in the access industry.

It is jointly organized by industry magazines Access International and Access Lift & Handlers, and IPAF. Put the date in your diary and be part of a host of events taking place from March 25 to 27.

This is the first time that the IPAF Summit and IAPAs are being held in the United States, and there is an excellent line-up of top speakers for the Summit conference.

The IPAF Summit will be a full day of plenary conference and seminars. The day will start at 9:00am with the IPAF Annual General Meeting (AGM) for IPAF members only. This will be followed by breakout seminars that all delegates can attend, covering topics related to AWPs and mast climbing work platforms (MCWPs), ranging from inspections and maintenance, to accident reporting and safety training.

The plenary conference in the afternoon will bring all delegates together and provide them with valuable take-home messages that contribute toward a professional and safe powered access industry. Ron DeFeo, chairman & CEO of Terex, will give the keynote address. Other confirmed speakers include Michael Kneeland, president & CEO of United Rentals, and Sérgio Kariya, managing director of the rental division of Mills Estruturas e Serviços de Engenharia SA in Brazil. The Summit is held in English, with simultaneous translation in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. Attendance is free. Register in advance at www.iapa-summit.info.

Series of Books to Help Learn the 2012 International Codes

The International Code Council (ICC), publisher of the family of International Codes, and Delmar, part of Cengage Learning and a provider of learning solutions for ongoing career development and education, announce the Code Basics series, a new series of books that break down the language within the 2012 I-Codes and makes the content more user friendly for building professionals.
 

The series consists of four titles focusing on the new commercial, green, residential and energy codes recently released by the ICC. With two currently available, and two to be released by the end of 2012, these new books will feature illustrations highlighting key updates and changes in the 2012 codes, practical on-the-job scenarios for real-world applications and straight-forward explanations. These features help to facilitate the learning of technical terms and clarify the meaning behind important vocabulary. The books in the series include:

• Building Code Basics Residential: Based on the 2012 International Residential Code – The first book in the series and currently available for purchase features code references and descriptive illustrations and tables to explain the fundamentals of the 2012 International Residential Code. Chapters progress in the order of construction – from site-work and foundations, to fire and life safety and environmental requirements of a finished residence. Building Code Basics Residential is an ideal resource for both beginning and experienced code users to ensure compliance.
• Building Code Basics Commercial: Based on the 2012 International Building Code – Also currently available, this book covers the basic concepts of the 2012 International Building Code (IBC) and was created to benefit both first-time and experienced users. It explores base requirements in a straightforward, easy-to-read format and simplifies the IBC's regulations and critical concepts so that users can build a foundation for learning and applying the codes.
• Building Code Basics Green: Based on the 2012 International Green Construction Code – Green, environmentally-conscious construction is the driving force behind many of today’s new construction projects. This book, which will be available in the fall of 2012, prepares users to work with the 2012 International Green Construction Code (IgCC). It is a practical guide to green and sustainable construction and was designed to appeal to anyone with an interest in green and sustainable construction. It introduces the mandatory provisions of the IgCC, while also extending its scope to tackle project electives and jurisdictional requirements, designed to promote the construction of buildings beyond the code's minimum requirements to higher performance thresholds. 
• Building Code Basics Energy: Based on the 2012 International Energy Code – Available in the winter of 2012, this book covers a critical topic, as energy conservation continues to become an increasingly important factor in building construction. Based on the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), it fills a need for information that instructs how to properly apply the energy provisions of the code in a real-world setting. The book provides solid, working information on important energy code applications for residential and commercial construction, with a reliance on color graphics, charts and photos that help to deepen understanding of the material.