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Concrete and Masonry

May 19, 2008

Concrete-pump simulator offers state-of-the-art training for operating engineers

A state-of-the-art concrete-pump simulator has been installed at the Operating Engineers Training Institute of Ontario (OETIO) campus in Oakville.

May 19, 2008

BCIT researcher’s patented Heavy Tool Support Arm gets ready to lend a hand

Patented by BCIT’s Applied Research Liaison Office (ARLO), the Heavy Tool Support Arm (HTSA) will be assembled and sold by Gordon Thiessen’s own company, GT Automation Inc.

May 7, 2008

Governments promise more than $3 million in infrastructure upgrades for Kootenay communities

The communities of Warfield, Grand Forks, Greenwood and Rossland will soon see improved roads, water and wastewater systems.

May 5, 2008

RFIDs offer another step toward sustainability

According to a new report from the Renewable Energy Network for the 21st Century (REN21), renewable energy generating capacity has doubled since 2004 and accounts for 2.4 million jobs.

April 28, 2008

Repair work begins on Pitt River bridge

A nine-metre tower of rebar, one of the support pylons for the Pitt River bridge, fell over in the early hours of April 14 when a crane came into contact with a guy wire. Despite this setback the bridge is scheduled for completion in late 2009.

April 21, 2008

Dockside Green strives for LEED Platinum certification

Dockside Green will include three different neighbourhoods, about 1.3 million square feet of mixed use facilities and about 2,500 people in the 15-acre reclaimed brownfield site when it is finished. The development along Victoria’s waterfront is aiming to become North America’s first LEED Platinum-certified community.

March 12, 2008

Viper Concrete suffers millions in damages after cement-truck fire

A flaming Molotov cocktail thrown into a cement pump truck spread to an adjacent building and caused millions of dollars in damage to a construction business in Calgary.

March 5, 2008

Athena Sustainable Materials Institute offers life-cycle assessments for buildings

Athena Sustainable Materials Institute’s role is to help architects, engineers and others to evaluate the environmental impacts of buildings through something called life-cycle assessment (LCA).

February 20, 2008

Cement manufacturers continue quest for “greener” technology

Most cement manufacturers are already using more efficient kilns and additives as fly ash and blast furnace slag to make concrete “greener,” but the quest for more efficient technology continues, too, writes Daily Commercial News columnist Korky Koroluk.

February 20, 2008

British Columbia government reviews Epcor wind-power project

The construction of a wind energy project in northeastern B.C. by Epcor is one step closer to reality as the government undertakes an environmental assessment.

March 5, 2007

Pre-cast segments help streamline rapid transit project

Pre-casting is helping streamline construction of the Canada rapid transit line between Vancouver and Richmond, and promises a higher standard of workmanship than conventional cast-in-place work.

March 5, 2007

Keeping the noise down - highway traffic noise barriers

South Africa is becoming an increasingly noisy country, due to the rapid densification of urban areas.

March 5, 2007

Environmental friendly cement

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have discovered that the source of concrete’s strength and durability lies in its pyramidal structure.

March 5, 2007

Killer weir to be converted

Normally, a fall on concrete is to be avoided. But after Calgary’s killer weir is remodeled into the Harvie Passage this year “a drunken sailor could fall in, in the middle of the night” says Howard Heffler, “and easily walk or swim out”.

March 5, 2007

Don't water that ready-mixed batch

Contractors who run a water hose into a truckload of ready-mixed concrete to make it easier to work with run the risk of violating the new B.C. Building Code revisions, contractors were told at the Buildex show held recently.

March 5, 2007

In-yard water features popular with homeowners

One of the most sought-after items in today’s residential construction market for the yard is the water pond or fountain, says Vince Macri, owner operator of Select Pools & Spa of North Vancouver, a company providing custom cast-in-place concrete structures. “It’s become very popular,” he says. Homeowners see these features as “a sanctuary” within the yard, a quiet place to go to relax or chat. “They can sit outside and enjoy it visually, or, through the sound it makes,” he says.

March 5, 2007

Conductive concrete test results stable

There’s still some tweaking to do on the methodology, but a bridge deck using inlays of conductive concrete to keep the deck free of ice and snow is successfully making its way through its fourth consecutive Nebraska winter.

March 5, 2007

Concrete gives Kwantlen expansion a green edge

A creative approach to a tight budget put concrete at the top of the list of materials Kwantlen University College incorporated into its new Cloverdale campus.