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By: Jan R. Prusinski, PE
In a May 11, 2012 op/ed piece in the Houston Chronicle entitled "Building Materials Are Key to Limiting Storm Deaths," Dr. Mukaddes Darwish, associate professor of construction engineering and engineering technology at Texas Tech stated that: "Research at Texas Tech University and elsewhere has shown that only masonry or reinforced concrete walls can protect against lethal flying debris that might be encountered during a tornado with wind speeds up to 130 mph."
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By: Jan R. Prusinski, PE
Concrete building systems are especially suited to provide resistance to natural hazards. Concrete has the necessary hardness and mass to resist the high winds and flying debris of tornadoes and hurricanes. Concrete is fire resistant and non-flammable, which means it can contain fires and will not contribute to the spreading of fire. Reinforced concrete framing systems can be designed to resist the most severe earthquakes without collapse. Concrete doesn’t rot or rust even if it is subject to flooding. (NRMCA, "Resilience Is the New Sustainability," InFocus, Spring 2012)  By: Jan R. Prusinski, PE
Insulated concrete form (ICF) homes in Lubbock are at near-cost parity with stick built homes, in the low-income housing program coordinated by the City (see "Lubbock ICF Low Income Homes Number More than 130"). A recent 2-story home (1,600 sq ft) was build with ICFs for $128,400. The low alternative bid for exterior wood wall framing was $126,300. That's just $2,100, or 1.7%! For identical homes (except exterior walls). By: Jan R. Prusinski, PE
The City of Lubbock has now built over 130 insulated concrete form (ICF) homes over the last 13 years for low income residents. On a recent trip to Lubbock, I visited with Brad Reed, the City of Lubbock coordinator of this effort (until very recently), who relayed to me that the program continues with 10+ homes being built per year.... |
PURPOSEThe Cementx Pavement Blog seeks to make pavement owners, engineers and contractors smarter about selecting, designing, constructing and maintaining pavements. New blog postings began February 1, 2017; however, we carried over pavement-related blog postings from our older blog, the "Texas Cement and Concrete Blog," which ran until December 2016.
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The Cement Council of Texas promotes the proper use of cement and concrete in pavements, infrastructure, buildings, homes and other construction applications. We are the non-profit trade association of portland cement manufacturers and shippers in Texas.
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The materials and information contained herein are for general guidance and reference purposes only for professionals competent to evaluate the significance and limitations of their content. The materials and information do not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. Third party materials reflect the views of the authors, who are responsible for the accuracy of the facts, data, opinions, findings, and conclusions presented therein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the Cement Council of Texas.