Concrete Masonry Design Awards of Excellence Accepting Entries

The National Concrete Masonry Association, along with Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute, is now accepting entries for the Concrete Masonry Design Awards of Excellence program. Awards are presented for commercial, residential, landscape and sustainability. The deadline for submittals is Sept. 4, 2013.

“The Concrete Masonry Design Awards program gives the design community the opportunity to highlight all that concrete masonry has to offer," says NCMA Chairman of the Board Charles Newsome of Johnson Concrete Co. Inc. "The program recognizes those projects that excel in design using concrete masonry and hardscapes for commercial, residential and landscape applications. We are excited that this year’s program will also include manufactured stone veneer projects.”

Winners will be nationally recognized through trade show exhibits, publications and media.
 
For complete information about the Concrete Masonry Design Awards of Excellence and entry forms, visit www.ncma.org/designawards.

Entries Open for BIA 2013 Brick in Architecture Awards

The Brick Industry Association (BIA) has opened entry submissions for its 2013 Brick In Architecture Awards, with a new Renovation/Restoration category and new category divisions this year. BIA’s annual awards honor architectural excellence and sustainable design nationwide that incorporates clay brick products as the predominant exterior building or paving material. 

Entries are due by April 30. To enter and for details, go to:
http://www.gobrick.com/EventsEducation/BrickInArchitectureAwards/tabid/7661/Default.aspx.
The 2013 awards competition will be conducted entirely online. Architectural and design firms from around the country can enter their best material to be judged by a jury of their peers.
          
“As a versatile building material made in America made from abundant natural resources, there is no substitute for genuine clay brick,” says BIA President and CEO Gregg Borchelt, P.E. “In addition to its unmatched durability and many benefits from its physical properties, brick offers aesthetic flexibility to match the architect’s imagination and desires, and is a main element in sustainable design."
          
As the largest and most prestigious juried competition of its kind, entries can be submitted in one or more of the below categories: 

Commercial (Under $10 Million) – New
Commercial (Over $10 Million) – New
Education – K-12
Education – Colleges & Universities (Higher Education)* – New
Health Care Facilities
Municipal/Government
Houses of Worship
Residential – Single Family
Residential – Multi-Family
Renovation (Additions)**/Restoration (Restoring) – New
Paving & Landscape Projects

*Includes residence halls & academic/administrative buildings
**Additions must use at least 50 percent new clay brick products on the building. Restoration construction must include at least 50% clay brick products, which can either be new or salvaged.

For complete information on eligibility, submission requirements, and judging, visit
http://www.gobrick.com/EventsEducation/BrickInArchitectureAwards/tabid/7661/Default.aspx.

AEM Pillar of the Industry Award Winners

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) and the I Make America campaign announce the 2012 recipients of the annual Pillar of the Industry awards, given to companies achieving or maintaining Gold status in the campaign.
The awards recognize the companies’ tremendous dedication and outstanding contributions to the people and communities of the equipment manufacturing industry through extensive I Make America campaign activities in support of pro-manufacturing policies to improve the economy. AEM and I Make America initiated the awards in 2011 to honor the work of these true industry champions.
For 2012 a total 19 companies received Pillar of the Industry Awards – 16 for achieving Gold Status this year, and 3 honored as Gold Year 2 winners, for maintaining their Gold-level status earned last year. Winners were announced at AEM’s recent annual conference.

I Make America is a grassroots campaign launched in September 2010 to dramatically improve American manufacturing policies to create more jobs in the U.S. and keep the nation’s economy competitive with other countries. The campaign has enlisted the support of more than 22,000 people to date nationwide, AEM’s 850+ member companies, and industry organizations.

“I Make America has been a great success thanks to the outstanding support of our AEM member companies. We are pleased to honor these companies who have raised the bar of public affairs advocacy and we commend their efforts through these Pillar of the Industry awards,” said Dennis Slater, AEM president. “As members of AEM, they exemplify the commitment we need from all manufacturers around the country to send the message to Congress and the White House that our economy is in urgent need of manufacturing policies that will help create jobs.”

I Make America Gold-Level supporters have achieved participation benchmarks marking them as industry leaders. Activities can include significant employee involvement; outreach to their state, local and federal legislators; promoting campaign sign-ups at trade shows and with allied trade associations; and production of A Day in American Life video telling the story of how their companies, employees and communities “make America.”

2012 Pillar of the Industry Award Winners
 
Three companies earned Year 2 Gold status:

• Angus-Palm
• Caterpillar
• International Construction Equipment (ICE)

And 16 companies earned Gold Status:

• Calder Brothers Corporation
• CLAAS of America
• CNH
• General Kinematics
• Kondex Corporation
• Krone NA
• Miller Electric Manufacturing
• Paladin Attachments
• Screen Machine Industries
• Steel of West Virginia
• Stellar Industries
• Sullivan-Palatek
• Telsmith
• Volvo Construction Equipment
• Wolf Robotics
• Woods Equipment Company

Robert Bosch Power Tool Marketing Earns STAR Awards

The marketing group for the accessories unit of Robert Bosch Power Tool Corp. has received five 2012 STAR Awards for excellence in marketing from the Construction Marketing Association (CMA), including recognition as the Midwest Construction Marketer of the Year.

The 2012 Bosch CMA awards include:  

Advertising - Print Trade Publication/STAR

The Bosch Bulldog advertisement introduces this established brand to the market for concrete drilling accessories by demonstrating the toughness and drilling capability in a variety of materials.  

 

Collateral/Literature - Catalog/SuperSTAR

The winning project was designed to create a catalog that's not only functional, but also doubles as a corporate brochure for this Bosch business. Bolstering the look, feel and range of this catalog served a variety of needs, including key selling benefits for both consumers and distribution partners.  

Packaging - Product Package Design/SuperSTAR (Router Bit Packaging)

Bosch router bit packaging features a clear face panel that allows full view of the bit. The packaging's strong construction makes for long-term protective bit storage. Not only does the case swing-hinge open, but the bit holder also pivots for easy bit access.  

Merchandising - POP Materials/SuperSTAR

This integrated campaign shows the breadth, capability and utility of Bosch universal fit multi-tool cutting blades, scrapers, grinding blades and sanding triangles. The company continues to offer the most innovation in the category.

Construction Marketer of the Year - Midwest

This award is a compilation of the best creative work by a company based in the Midwest that serves the construction industry.

The CMA STAR awards recognize excellence in 16 marketing categories and 81 sub-categories including advertising, branding, website design, social media, brochures, catalogs, new product launches, packaging, photography, promotions, publicity, merchandising, trade shows, videos, employee communications and integrated marketing campaigns, along with the CONSTRUCTION MARKETER OF THE YEAR.

Largest Shake Table Test Research Awarded Raymond C. Reese Prize

In 2009, SimpsonStrong-Tie collaborated with academia on the NEESWood Capstone project in Japan, the world’s largest earthquake shake table test. A research article based on that test was awarded the 2011 Raymond C. Reese Research Prize by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

The research paper, “Experimental Seismic Response of a Full-Scale Six-Story Light-Frame Wood Building,” co-authored by John W. van de Lindt, M.ASCE, Shiling Pei, M.ASCE, Steven E. Pryor, M.ASCE, Simpson Strong-Tie, H. Shimizu and H. Isoda, describes testing and results from the NEESWood Capstone project.

The Raymond C. Reese Research Prize is awarded annually to a notable achievement in research related to structural engineering, with special consideration for how the research can be used. The award was presented at SEI and ASCE’s 2012 Structures Congress in Chicago on March 29-31.

The NEESWood Capstone project was developed to test new design methods for multistory, wood-frame buildings during large seismic events, and featured a seven-story, 40- by 60-foot condominium tower with 23 one- and two-bedroom living units and two retail shops on the ground level. The condo building was subjected to and withstood several earthquakes created by Japan's E-Defense shake table. The test was also intended to provide a landmark data set to the seismic engineering research community.

"The testing done in Japan shows that performance-based design for light-frame wood structures works. This will allow the engineering and building community to provide safer, better performing buildings in the most cost-effective manner,” says Simpson Strong-Tie International Director of Building Systems Steve Pryor, who co-authored the paper.