"...Jack Kent Cook Stadium...completed in just 17 months...set the NFL
record..."
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Cast-in-place
reinforced concrete is the choice when you have a need for speed.
The new Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, home to
the NFL's Washington Redskins, was completed in just 17 months, and has set the NFL record
for fastest-built modern-day facility. The $175-million stadium was designed by HOK Sports
Facilities Group, and The Clark Construction Group was hired as the fast-track general
contractor, who had to make changes to the plans as construction progressed all for the
sake of saving time. The contractor used a cast-in-place frame to support the first six
levels of precast concrete stadium risers. Cast-in-place reinforced concrete was selected
instead of structural steel primarily to save time, stated Clark's senior project manager.
See related article in ENR, July 28, 1997, pg. 31.Issues involving the design and construction of reinforced masonry walls
remain a hot topic.
Judging from the interest and attendance at recent seminars on
the design of reinforced concrete masonry wall systems, these systems remain a hot topic
for architects/engineers throughout the country. The primary building code covering
masonry construction is "Building Code Requirements for Masonry (ACI 530-95/ASCE
5-95/TMS 402-95)" by the American Concrete Institute, American Society of Civil
Engineers and the Masonry Society. A "fully-reinforced" masonry wall is designed
to resist both dead and live vertical loads (load-bearing wall) plus lateral loads due to
either wind or seismic forces. The code requires rebar in both the vertical and horizontal
directions for fully-reinforced masonry walls. More information on reinforced masonry
design is available from several sources, including the National Concrete Masonry
Association, NCMA, in Herndon, Virginia tel. (703) 713-1900.
World of Concrete moves to Florida
America's largest annual commercial construction trade show moves to
Orlando, Florida January 18-21, 1998. More than 50,000 engineers, architects, contractors,
and others involved in the concrete industry will be in Florida for the huge trade show.
Over 1,000 exhibitors, 70 seminars, and live full-scale demonstrations of equipment and
techniques for construction will be seen. Contact CRSI for FREE general admission.
Institutional building construction to
continue strong through 1998.
As growth in construction spending has been dwindling in the second half of
1997, 1998 is forecast to continue the negative trend. The one major bright spot seen for
1998 is in educational construction. For all of 1997, educational construction spending is
expected to gain 12.2% reaching a total of $33.3 billion, says Cahners Building &
Construction Market Forecast in their August 1997 newsletter. After solid gains the past
few years, the whole non-residential construction market is forecast to have virtually
zero growth in 1998. The commercial building segment is forecast to decline 2 or 3%. The
industrial building segment is forecast to decline more than 5%. But, the institutional
building segment is forecast to gain approximately 4% in 1998, and the major portion
of this growth will be school construction. The growth in school enrollments is expected
to continue into the next decade. One estimate says that the U.S. will need to build some
6,000 additional schools during the next 10 years. The biggest emphasis will be building
new high schools that have an average cost of $15.3 million to construct. Cast-in-place
reinforced concrete systems give an economical alternative for owners.
ENGINEERING
INFORMATION PROGRAM-DECEMBER 1997 |
