Build With Strength

Using its 2016 National Convention as a launching pad, the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) has unveiled Build with Strength, a multi-million dollar coordinated industry campaign to better educate the design / build and code communities about the benefits of concrete construction in the low- to mid-rise sector, and in general.

“We are proud to launch a first-of-its-kind program for the concrete industry,” said outgoing NRMCA Chairman Allen Hamblen, president and CEO of CalPortland. “It’s not only going to support our members, their businesses, and the hardworking men and women of the concrete industry, but I firmly believe that the education campaign we are embarking on will lead to stronger, more durable construction that will save lives while cutting cost over time.”

The program is based on a significant research investment made by the NRMCA to better understand the motivations behind the use of certain construction materials, including concrete. The research showed that a great majority of the design / build community was favorable to concrete construction because of attributes like strength, durability and ease of use. However, certain misconceptions about cost and environmental impact often led decision makers to choose less-safe building materials such as wood and wood products.

“All of us in the concrete industry know we offer a superior construction product that delivers safety, durability and strength to designers, architects, builders, investors and consumers,” said NRMCA president Robert Garbini. “What this campaign is about is spreading that message to the audiences that are either unaware of or reluctant to embrace concrete as the standard-bearer of durability.”

The campaign relies on an unprecedented communications strategy that will include a Build with Strength branded web site, video content, a multi-city media tour, rapid response capabilities, advertising, social media properties and stakeholder engagement opportunities. Additionally, the campaign is designed to drive industry and project decision makers to resources such as webinars and live seminars for technical support and design assistance, while also building an advocacy network that will support concrete’s position in building codes, standards and rating systems at the state and local level. The campaign has already been activated in both Washington State and Maryland, where state legislatures were considering legislation that would have greatly impacted the construction materials market.

“With Build with Strength we have an opportunity to reenergize the concrete industry and better position concrete products in the construction marketplace,” said Ted Chandler, incoming NRMCA chairman and president of Chandler Concrete Co., Inc. “Given the type of support we have received thus far, I have no doubt it will serve as a united voice reminding people inside and outside of the industry that no product is as safe, strong or durable as ready mixed concrete.”

NEW JERSEY VOTERS SUPPORT BUILDING CODE CHANGES

In advance of a City of Edgewater, New Jersey hearing to consider rebuilding the burned-down Avalon at Edgewater apartment complex with the same lightweight wood-frame construction method, Build with Strength, a coalition of the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, released a new poll that found registered New Jersey voters are very supportive of the state making changes to construction codes in the wake of the fire. According to the poll, 95 percent are supportive of changes to construction codes.

“New Jersey residents have already experienced firsthand the consequences of building with vulnerable and inferior construction materials,” said Kevin Lawlor, a spokesperson for Build with Strength. “The devastation wrought by the Edgewater fire has been burned into the collective memory, and as such, there’s overwhelming consensus to enact whatever measures are necessary to make sure something like this never happens again. That means code requirements for structures to be built with resilient products like concrete, and not wood.”

The January 2015 fire that destroyed the 240-unit apartment building burned for seven hours and left 500 people homeless. Ironically, the same apartment complex burned down 15 years prior, while it was still under construction using the same wood-frame methodology. The two fires are considered the worst in Bergen County’s history.

According to the poll, New Jersey voters overwhelmingly support legislative changes to make buildings in the state more resistant to fires and natural disasters. This includes support for a requirement for concrete and steel frames for buildings over three stories high, as well as proposed legislation that would place limits on construction with wood. In addition to the poll, a new video and infographic examining the Edgewater fire and the reaction from the community was released today.

“Any consideration of rebuilding the Avalon apartment complex with lightweight wood-framing a third time must be met with incredulity,” continued Lawlor. “Apparently the old adage, ‘fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me,’ has been willfully ignored. The representatives on the zoning board and council as a whole should follow their constituents’ near-unanimous position on safe building construction, and reject efforts to utilize materials that put the community at risk.”

GEORGIA COMMUNITY VOTES TO “BUILD WITH STRENGTH”

On August 16, the Sandy Springs, Georgia city council voted unanimously to amend the city’s building code to include new requirements that prohibit combustible building materials from being used in certain building elements (including the structural frame, load bearing walls, etc.) in structures above three stories and 100,000 square feet. The regulation, effective immediately, comes at a time many cities have instituted a requirement for construction with enhanced quality materials that increase the resiliency of buildings.

“The city council, with the support of Mayor Rusty Paul, voted decisively to keep its people secure and its buildings resilient,” said Kevin Lawlor of Build With Strength. “In order to make sure the well-being of all communities across the country is preserved, it is vital that officials and experts in both government and architecture follow Sandy Springs’ lead and build with strength.”

The amended code is based on city council findings which determined local climactic, geologic, topographic and public safety conditions justified the amendment.

In order to create easily-accessible development regulations that integrate the adopted state regulations, the mayor and council locally amended the state minimum standard building code to provide for increased building quality, sustainability, durability and longevity, while revitalizing the areas zoned for uses other than what is currently developed.

The new ordinance provides assurance to not only the occupants, but the fire safety professionals who adjust their firefighting strategy based on the composition of a building.

In a recently released video, Jon Narva, the director of external relations for the National Association of State Fire Marshals said, “It’s just not worth firefighters’ lives to go into a building that might collapse on them.

“It’s a very simple equation: the stronger the building materials you use, the safer residents will be. The Sandy Springs council just set an example for the rest of the country,” continued Lawlor. “All communities are deserving of strong, durable and, most of all, safe construction. That means concrete in favor of wood.”

Learn more at www.buildwithstrength.com.