CONSTRUCT Donates to Tennessee Concrete Association

CONSTRUCT, an event designed to provide the commercial building team real-world, practical product and education solutions, supports Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) student research for the Net Zero Building Project by donating $750 to the Tennessee Concrete Association (TCA).

The Net Zero Building Project at TCA is being done in partnership with MTSU and a local group of sustainable construction advocates. The group used an Integrated Project Delivery method, including a design charette, to get input from a cross section of the community. 

The design produced a simple, sustainable, disaster-resistant building that can be used as permanent housing or constructed quickly after natural/manmade disasters such as an earthquake, flood, tornado, etc. This structure could be implemented rapidly to aid in a disaster relief scenario or be stationed in the landscape as a place of refuge before an impending natural disaster. It will also incorporate the principal of modularity to allow for future expansion once the emergency stage has passed.  

Secondly, this shelter is built with the intention of showcasing net-zero energy consumption by using the thermal mass of concrete, thermal tempering of the fresh air supply, and natural convection to provide indoor comfort without an HVAC system. It also incorporates a small PV solar system to produce its own energy and showcases resilient design principles and healthy home finishes. This demonstration shelter allows researchers at MTSU to gather data from a multidisciplinary perspective.  

Lastly, this shelter will provide a vehicle for undergraduate and graduate students to work in a living laboratory.   

“TCA’s Net Zero home is an important project that our CONSTRUCT attendees will have an opportunity to visit and learn about," says Tom Cindric, VP, CONSTRUCT. "We are excited to be able to support the project’s completion.” 

“The Tennessee Concrete Association is excited about partnering with the Construct show to share our concrete Net Zero home with show attendees," adds Alan Sparkman, CAE, CCPf, LEED AP, executive director, Tennessee Concrete Association. "We appreciate this opportunity and we appreciate Hanley Wood's donation of $750 to help us in completing the project.”