American Concrete Institute - Nebraska Chapter

Golf Registration due this friday. Let's Go!!!

ACI Spring Golf at Hidden Valley Golf Club Join Your Friends and Colleagues in Lincoln!

ACI Nebraska Announces Graduate Scholarship recipient.

Each year, the ACI Nebraska Chapter provides scholarship awards to deserving students based on their interest and ability in concrete design, construction, and/or materials. Three $1,500 scholarships are offered in the name of late Nebraska Chapter Executive Secretary Richard T. “Dick” DeLorm and are given to one associate, one undergraduate, and one graduate student.

Graduate recipient: Islam Orynbassarov, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan (University of Nebraska - Omaha)

Islam is pursuing his PhD degree in civil engineering. Islam is currently working on multiple research topics related to concrete materials. One of them is using corn stover ash as supplemental cementitious materials. The other project he is working on is introducing biochar inside concrete to achieve carbon-neutral or carbon-negative concrete. He is also working on another project related to using CO2 to treat recycled concrete aggregate. Islam is a very productive student; even though he has only been here for one and a half years, he has already had his work presented at the Transportation Research Boards and at the International Pavement Concrete last summer.

Congrats Islam

ACI Nebraska Announces Undergraduate Scholarship recipient.

Each year, the ACI Nebraska Chapter provides scholarship awards to deserving students based on their interest and ability in concrete design, construction, and/or materials. Three $1,500 scholarships are offered in the name of late Nebraska Chapter Executive Secretary Richard T. “Dick” DeLorm and are given to one associate, one undergraduate, and one graduate student.

Undergraduate recipient: JP Aurit, Elkhorn, Nebraska. (University of Nebraska)

JP is pursuing his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and is expected to graduate in May of 2025. JP has a strong interest in concrete structures and material design. He has served as president of the American Society of Civil Engineers and has volunteers on the concrete canoe competition. His long-term goals include starting his own engineering firm where he can bid on large projects that would profoundly impact his community.

Congrats JP!

ACI Nebraska Announces Associate Scholarship recipient.

Each year, the ACI Nebraska Chapter provides scholarship awards to deserving students based on their interest and ability in concrete design, construction, and/or materials. Three $1,500 scholarships are offered in the name of late Nebraska Chapter Executive Secretary Richard T. “Dick” DeLorm and are given to one associate, one undergraduate, and one graduate student.

Associate recipient: Bradley Schindel, Albion Nebraska (Southeast Community College - Milford)

Bradley is a student at Southeast community college and is pursuing his associate degree in building construction technology. In one of his recommendation letters from his employer, Silver Ridge Concrete Construction, it stated that, “Going to college and working at the same time is no easy task but Bradley has showed immense dedication and willingness to learn and is now one of our top finishers. Most employees take years to master concrete finishing but Because of Bradley’s dedication, time management, and initiative he has managed to become one of our most valuable employees.”

Congrats Bradley! Silver Ridge Construction

ACI Awards of Excellence: Boys Town Education Center

Since its opening in 1948, Boys Town High School has continually provided safe and inspiring learning experiences for its students. Aging facilities, plans for expansion, and the need to consolidate grade levels prompted the organization to enlist DLR Group to help make plans for an upgrade. The design for the new Boys Town Education Center captures the spirit of Boys Town and appreciation of the little things. Throughout the design process, special attention was paid to each detail; from the vertical and horizontal juxtaposition of form to brick and stone color detailing. Capturing the spirit of place – celebrating it – was the goal of the project. At the beginning of the design process, students and staff shared their desire for more privacy on the campus. The design team ensured that there is a distinct separation between public and private spaces. The exterior façade was inspired by the historic facilities of Boys Town, with its playful brick patterns and original precast concrete mural.

The new 110,000 SF school serves 450 students, grades 4-12. Elementary and middle school students will have access to a learning commons for collaboration and “messy work.” The entirety of the high school suite is a Next Generation learning environment, with each interwoven and the media center serves all students, grades 4-12, and features a collaborative approach with books focused on leisure and reading.

The project is comprised of over 700 pieces of precast concrete components including 56,000SF of insulated wall panels. Another 284 pieces of stone clad coping lined the top of the concrete walls. In addition to the wall panels and coping, the project included precast hollow core plank and double-tees to create a storm shelter area. The highly energy efficient wall panels were clad with a five-color blend of thin brick as well as 2” green granite to blend with the existing Boys Town Campus aesthetic. There are thirteen prominent mosaic brick panels along the main campus drive. They incorporated every size of thin brick available from Endicott Brick and organized into 3 custom 4’x4’ mold patterns. Each mold pattern was repeated multiple times within the panel, but each with a varying orientation horizontally and vertically to create the one of kind appearance for each of the 13 mosaic panels.

The project’s design included state of the art concrete technology in its 16 by 30-foot concrete wall celebrating Boys Town’s history to welcome students and visitors to the facility. This Graphic Concrete technology is unique to the precast industry and utilizes a large scaled heavy paper with concrete retarder printed on the paper to create the image. The paper is placed in the form work at the precast facility and concrete is placed over the top of the paper. Once the concrete has cured, the paper is removed to create an impressive image on the concrete. The printed paper can only be sourced from Finland and is only available thru Graphic Concrete and Enterprise Precast Concrete.

ACI Nebraska Awards of Excellence: River Front Revitalization, Omaha NE.

The RiverFront was made possible thanks to community generosity. A remarkable public-private partnership helped to fund the $325 million dollar project, with $50 million contributed by the City of Omaha and the remaining balance donated by local philanthropists. This advantageous approach ensured the project’s expediency and provided an important investment in the city’s future.

The design and vision for The RiverFront came from the award-winning minds at OJB Landscape Architecture. By examining the existing territory and acknowledging current hurdles, a new concept took shape placing a renewed emphasis on open, accessible space and groundbreaking components. Local experts with Omaha-based HDR helped to navigate numerous engineering obstacles, with the highly talented team from Kiewit Infrastructure Group ensuring the construction timeline and completion.

In the fall of 2019 Platte River and ShawMark were tasked with providing a durable-colored exposed aggregate concrete mix design. This task required batching and placing of over 100 cubic yards of sample concrete slabs with varying sizes and percentages of coarse aggregate, numerous color options, white cement options as well as varying levels of aggregate exposure for all options. The work was far from over once the Landscape Architect made their final color selections. ShawMark then prefabricated a tremendous amount of custom 100% hand built Architectural Wall Forms, Stair Forms, Beveled Radius Wall Forms, and Artwork Base Forms. All the above-mentioned work took place before ever starting construction of the actual project itself.

As construction began onsite the team learned of the challenges it would face for the next 3 years. ShawMark and Platte River fought through, access issues, working in and around other trade partners, landscaping, artwork deliveries and er****ons, weather delays, and seasonal temperature changes all created challenges in providing consistent color and exposure of all concrete provided for these projects.

Understanding the challenges present during construction only makes the sheer size and scope of the project more impressive. Over 525,000 square feet of exposed aggregate colored concrete has been placed throughout all three projects. White exposed aggregate, heated, cooled, and colored skate ribbon, colored exposed aggregate beveled skate ribbon walls, varying sizes, and shapes of exposed aggregate walls, 72 flights of stairs consisting of 491 steps all with hand tooled safety grooves, colored concrete bridge substructure and deck at the Farnam Pier as well as a colored concrete bridge deck.

"In my 25 years working in the concrete industry, I have never had the privilege of working on a project of this magnitude bringing civic responsibility, decorative concrete, and community all together as one. The RiverFront team’s intensive preparation, communication, and pride or workmanship has provided The City of Omaha a beautiful destination that with last for generations." -Aaron Luth, Platte River Concrete Company

ACI Nebraska Award of Excellence: Schlabach Vineyards Residence and Wine Cave

The owner of Schlabach Estate Vineyard visioned a bold future for their wine when officially opening in 2018. Acting as their own general contractor, the Schlabachs turned to a local expert in concrete construction, Stephens & Smith Construction Company, Inc. located in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska. Meeting with project managers, the idea of building a wine cave attached to their personal residence began to take shape. Preliminary design established early on that two crucial details would need to be delivered. First, the cave must have arched ceilings to establish the architectural character the owners desired. Second, the wine cave would need to be buried below grade so that it could maintain an internal temperature of 55 degrees without any heating or air-conditioning.

Having been introduced to the concept, the team at Stephens & Smith went to work and soon provided the owner with a general design to aid in the constructability of the wine cave. This concept design was then taken to a structural engineer for approval of concept and development of the design. The engineering firm, Structural Design Group, Inc. of Lincoln, provided the owner and Stephens & Smith with an initial design that included footings, foundation walls, and a cast-in-place structural cap. This design was then used to draw a 3D model using Tekla Structures to present to the owner exactly what the completed foundation would look like.

This impressive construction project spans 6,993 square feet, featuring a unique wine cave with an arched concrete roof design. The project required 915 linear feet of concrete foundation walls, totaling 563 cubic yards of concrete and 38,400 pounds of steel. The walls of the wine cave varied in height, ranging from 2 feet to 14 feet, and in thickness from 8 inches to 24 inches. Designing the arched structural cap for the wine cave posed a challenge, which required extensive discussions among the project team, engineer, and owner to arrive at the final design.

Statement from the Owner:
“There are very few concrete contractors that could take on a project as complex as ours, especially during the COVID construction boom. Stephens & Smith has talented people at every level from project planning, computer 3D model design, to the hands-on craftsman who custom built forms and poured the concrete. The pride in their work shows through in the finished product. It has been a pleasure getting to know their team.”

In addition, The Schlabach Vineyards Residence & Wine Cave was this year’s Overall Grand Project of the Year by the Concrete Foundations Association (CFA). With over 70 projects submitted throughout the United States, this national award winner will long be the pride for Stephens & Smith as well as representing a great new relationship with their client, Schlabach Vineyard.

ACI Nebraska Awards of Excellence at Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium

Award of Outstanding Achievement, Steelhouse Omaha

In 2018, Omaha Performing Arts (O-pa) announced plans to expand their downtown campus. O-pa’s vision is to offer a vibrant destination for extraordinary experiences that engage, inspire, and connect. They also host education and community engagement programs within their facilities. As part of a larger campus expansion and master plan strategy, the new venue (Steelhouse Omaha) was strategically sited along a main transit arterial to compliment The Holland Performing Arts Center and connect the city’s revitalized riverfront to growing developments in downtown Omaha.

The project, located in the urban core, had rigorous requirements for durable material which could withstand day to day abuse on a site where the building sits on the property line. The sawtooth rhythm of the design references the site’s history of manufacturing, bringing a more industrial feel to a space not dedicated to a new kind of “making” - creating music and providing a space for local artists and community groups to convene. The strong horizontal lines of the precast plinth are further enhanced by the concrete’s thickened edge and smooth, acid washed face. This combination of texture and material depth creates an iconic monolithic form which is further accentuated by strong, horizontal continuous shadow lines giving the building a recognizable sense of scale at the pedestrian level.

Another primary design concern was the acoustics of the venue. They were vital, not only from the standpoint of how it sounds inside the main house, but also making sure that the loud music does not escape the building and disturb the neighboring community. O-pa understood the importance of being a good neighbor to the surrounding residents and businesses. For sound containment, the building shell was reinforced so all sound was absorbed within the concrete and drywall walls, or the specially designed glass panels.

The project included 82 pieces comprising approximately 12,000 square feet of finished wall panel. The bulk of the panels are insulated sandwich panels with solid panels around the back of house areas. The insulated panels incorporate four inches of XPS insulation giving the wall an R-Value of over 20 which will provide significant energy savings over the life span of the facility. The precast panels consisted of an acid etch finish with a unique saw tooth design that changes in dimension vertically as you go up the building. The panel’s exterior concrete wythe varies in thickness from three inches at the recess to five inches at the saw tooth point. The unique panel faces were created using custom built wooden formwork.

ACI Nebraska Awards of Excellence:
Award of Outstanding Achievement, La Vista Central Park Pavilion.

Located at the southern end of Central Park, where the park connects to the private City Centre development, The Link will be a facility that will provide public restrooms, concession areas and outdoor event space that will be available for rent by the public. The project also includes public spaces around the Astro music venue. The plaza in front of the music venue is a welcoming public area to relax outdoors, meet up with friends for lunch or before a concert and enjoy water features near the entrance to the venue. Access to Central Park from City Centre was created by a series of stairs and accessible ramps as well as a fun slide for the youngsters or those young at heart.

The site concrete retaining walls for this project are sloped at the top and include formliner and unique control joints. The formliner used was a Fitzgerald random plank pattern. The formliner is a one-time use formliner system with up to 8 weeks in lead times. The installation of the formliner became complicated due to the walls being sloped and angled at the top creating consolidation issues.

In-lays of roman numeral nine “IX”, (the wall of nines honors the city’s first neighborhood, the house of nines, where you could buy a house for $9,999 and pay $99/month) were unique to this project as well and required plywood in-lays in the wall formwork to create the shape in the concrete walls. Control joints were required to be implemented with the “I” of the roman numerals and were angled instead of a typical straight vertical control joint.

Other unique features include:
1. Stamped Colored Sidewalks
2. Cast-in-place concrete water feature that required Xypex, (which is a waterproofing admixture)
3. Unique 36” tall x 24” wide concrete coping cap on a modular block retaining wall.
4. Cast-in-place Stairs 15” wide over 2,626 LF around the entire site.
5. Unique concrete bands at turf strips.

The Fitzgerald formliner is typically used in precast applications. To create the desired finish on a concrete cast-in-place wall, it required trial and error. They placed four mockups. Due to the texture and pattern of the Fitzgerald formliner, self-consolidating concrete and a specific water-based Nox-Crete form-release was required. Utilizing self-consolidating became challenging because the walls were sloped at the top and self-consolidating concrete is very fluid; several adjustments to formwork and concrete placement rates for this application were required, and a formwork cap was built to form the sloped tops.

ACI Nebraska Awards of Excellence at Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium!

Award for Outstanding Achievement, Go Big Project, Nebraska Football Training Facility

Aiming to be a leader in sport science and student athlete nutrition, academics, and services, this two-phase project creates a 350,000 square foot expansion to propel Husker Athletics to the next level. Phase One centers around the Football Performance Center, which includes an athletic medicine area, strength complex, equipment room, locker rooms, football offices, meeting spaces, and extra space for future expansion. Phase Two provides enhancements for all student athletes, featuring a new academic center, new training table, and a student-athlete lobby. A new outdoor track stadium rounds out the project that will influence the future of Husker Athletics.

The GO Big Project consisted of a complicated concrete structure with deep auger cast foundations set on top with pile caps and grade beams, CIP structural shear walls, shotcrete earth retention systems near existing Memorial Stadium structures and utilized in coordinated areas to aid in foundation construction schedules and sequencing of work, shotcrete pools, structural CIP retaining walls, shallow foundations, and lightweight concrete on elevated slabs.

During drawings review and coordination with the design team, the team identified a potential problem with the mass amount of rebar in the CIP structural walls of the shear towers. In coordination with the Ready-Mix Concrete Supplier, HCI Foundations Foreman, and the Structural Engineer a mix was developed that meets the design of the project. The mix utilized was a self-consolidating concrete that would reach the high PSI specifications but still able to produce a quality finish in exposed concrete areas.

During ex*****on of the work, even with the self-consolidating mix, many honeycombs were still showing up after concrete forms were stripped. After some further examination and coordination, it was determined that adding a few external form vi*****rs to the PERI form system would ensure the tight lower sections of the formwork/openings would maintain the quality of finished required for the project.
Lightweight Concrete was specified by the design team, this created many challenges during construction based on schedule and when the concrete was scheduled to be placed. During coordination with our flatwork subcontractor, we developed a plan to help deter any coordination and schedule issues.

ACI Nebraska Awards of Excellence at Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium

Award for Outstanding Achievement: American Concrete Products Office building, Valley Nebraska.

When American Concrete Products needed new office space, their choice of building material was never in question. The 3,800 square foot structure was designed to incorporate and showcase the precast concrete material the company uses in its products. The building, which is situated near the main entrance gate to their large precast production facility, includes a reception area, lobby, conference room, and multiple private and open office spaces. The final design for the structure is a perfect blend of precast concrete, glass and metal wall panels that fold and wrap around each other to create a visually dynamic piece of architecture.

Enterprise Precast Concrete, a sister company of American Concrete Products, produced insulated precast concrete sandwich panels for the project. Insulated precast concrete sandwich wall panels provided a versatile and economical means to meet the structural, thermal, moisture, and architectural requirements of a structure.

The load-bearing precast concrete panels used on this project incorporate the use of two concrete colors with two different finishes. The primary exterior finish is acid etch with areas of light sandblast below and above the window openings. Additionally, the design uses two formliners manufactured by Architectural Polymers to break up the scale of the precast panels and create visual interest.

The use of precast also allowed the construction team to get the building enclosed more quickly compared to other more traditional exterior building envelope systems.

Project Details:
The project included 40 pieces of insulated panels that totaled approximately 4,000 square feet. The precast panels incorporated the use of two concrete mix designs, formliner, and exposed precast concrete with acid etch and sandblast finishes.

Great group to donate to for giving Tuesday. Great group of concrete professionals making a difference in Nebraska. Please consider donating if you can.

Give Where You Live Give Where You Live brings people together as one community, raising money and awareness for our local nonprofits. This community-wide effort is powered by the Kearney Area Community Foundation encouraging area nonprofits to build their capacity, find new donors, and identify new funding streams. Jo...

Congrautulations to ACI Nebraska Board member has been recognized with the 2023 Breakthrough Innovation of the Year Award by NUtech Ventures

"Marc Maguire, Associate Professor in the Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction, received the Breakthrough Innovation of the Year award. The award recognizes a technology developed in the past year that will likely have a profound effect on industry, business or a field of study. Maguire led a UNL College of Engineering research team that developed a plant-based mixture for concrete masonry blocks. This plant-based mixture is environmentally friendly and sustainable and helps meet the world’s construction demands. Additionally, the load-bearing capable, hemp-based composite is lighter than traditional cement while meeting the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards for load-bearing masonry units regarding strength, water absorption and weight. Maguire noted that this new product has the potential to significantly change the construction industry." - NUtech Ventures

Breakthrough Innovation of the Year: Marc Maguire Marc Maguire, Associate Professor in the Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction, received the Breakthrough Innovation of the Year award....

Event Notice: Join Carbon Leadership Forum Nebraska and learn about what the concrete industry is doing to reduce our carbon footprint, environmental product declarations, and trends in the concrete industry!

Clink the link to register in person or via zoom.
National Ready Mixed Concrete Association Nebraska Concrete & Aggregates Association

https://mailchi.mp/61e64494f540/building-transparency-ec3-tool-demo-13551740?e=cf3b05525e

Big news for the concrete industry in Nebraska!

One of the latest program additions at Southeast Community College to meet industry needs is Concrete Construction Technician. Jereme Montgomery, who works in business development for Stephens & Smith Construction in Lincoln, said SCC's program is unique to Nebraska.

"I don't know of any school in America that offers a Certificate, Diploma and Associate degree in Concrete Construction," Montgomery said. "The biggest benefit to this new program is that it creates a pathway for students to formally learn skills needed in the concrete industry.”



https://www.southeast.edu/news_stories/concrete_construction_technician/

Yes! May 18th!

ACI Spring Golf Event Join your friends and colleagues at Indian Creek!

Big shout out to Mr Dave Suchorski with Ash Grove Cement for speaking to our group on Concrete Durability. Great presentation and great questions from the attendees.

“When it Dries, it dies” Suchorski

EXCELLENT!

Each year the American Concrete Institute (ACI) recognizes its chapters based on their activities. Fun fact: There are 96 professional ACI chapters around the world. This year, 18 chapters are recognized as EXCELLENT!

American Concrete Institute - Nebraska Chapter Announces 2022 Scholarship Winners

ACI Nebraska Chapter provides scholarship awards to deserving students based on their interest and ability in concrete design, construction, and/or materials. Typically, two scholarships are offered in the name of Richard T. “Dick” DeLorm are given to one undergraduate and one graduate student. But this year, we have added an Associate Award for students attending 2-year programs. In addition, we had 10 applications this year and all of them met the criteria and made it very hard on our judges, so we were compelled to add another undergraduate award. So, in typical years we recognize 2 students, this year we recognized 4 students, awarding $1,500 each and $6,000 in total.

ACI Nebraska's Associate recipient of the 2022 Richard T. Delorm Scholarship goes to Demonte Jackson. Mr. Jackson is pursuing an associate of applied science degree in Construction and Building Science degree at Metropolitan community college. Mr. Jackson plans on continuing his education at Wayne State College in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree in construction management with a goal to become a project manager.

In the undergraduate category is one of two very deserving students. The first winner of the 2022 Richard T. Delorm Undergraduate Award goes to Cate Huse. Cate is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Nebraska Lincoln Campus. Cate is an employee of Olsson Associates and is active with UNL ASCE student chapter. She also participated on the Concrete Canoe team. One quote cited by Professor David Admiraal said, "Her team focused attitude will serve Cate well, making her an excellent leader when she graduates and a strong contributor to the profession."

The second recipient in the undergraduate category is Katrina Meier. Katrina is a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering at UNL, Omaha campus. She serves as the president of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) University of Nebraska-Omaha chapter. As the chapter president, she helped oversee all activities and ensure the chapter had what it needed and that deadlines were met. She has also been assisting our concrete canoe teams in planning and coordinating to attend regional competitions.

ACI Nebraska’s graduate award winner of the 2023 Richard T. DeLorm Scholarship goes to Ms. Akbota Aitbayeva. Akbota is a MS student in the Civil and Environmental Engineering at UNL. She joined UNL as an MS student and a graduate research assistant, and she has been working on two critical projects. One is related to Cast-in-Place UHPC funded by the Nebraska Department of Transportation, and the other is related to 3D printing of concrete-based and clay-concrete materials. Akbota works hard and provides she demonstrates herself as a competent, responsible researcher. In addition, she is organized and very responsible and always strives to do her best.

On behalf of ACI Nebraska and its members, we would like to congratulate to our scholarship recipient award winners.
To find out more about ACI Nebraska’s Richard T. Delorm Scholarship, please go to ACInebraska.org/education.

ACI Nebraska Award of Excellence

The new corporate headquarters for Applied Underwriters, located in the Heartwood Preserve Development, includes 476,000 Square feet of office space. The design consists of glass on all sides of the building to illuminate interior design, bring outdoor elements in, and provide ample amounts of natural sunlight. The building includes three floors of office space connected with a fire-story atrium. The maximize the views of nature while providing ample parking, two levels of parking sit underground at the base of the structure.

Construction of the Applied Underwriters Building began in 2019 and finished in 2022. The sheer size and scope of the Heartwood Preserve Development and the Applied Underwriters building required the er****on of an onsite concrete batch plant, and use of the largest crane ever used in Omaha.

This 200-million-dollar project consisted of 57,800 cubic yards of concrete. To put that into perspective, that is the equivalent of 5,780 fully loaded concrete trucks. Concrete mix designs were an integral part of the success of meeting the requirements of the project. Lightweight and normal weight mixes from 4000 psi to 5000 psi were used. The project also required the use of chemical admixtures such as corrosion inhibitors to prolong the life of the parking decks, non-chloride accelerators to increase set times in cold weather, moisture mitigating admixtures to reduce the risk of moisture related flooring issues, and shrinkage reducing admixtures to minimize random cracking.

Concrete is highly malleable when mixed and can take on various additives, appearances, surface textures and shapes. New types of concrete being made almost every year, including blends with high-performing characteristics to suit specific applications. Applied Underwriters Headquarters is a prime example of how versatile concrete can be designed, produced, and placed.

Owner: Applied Underwriters
Designer: Magnusson Klemencic Associates - MKA
Contractor: JE Dunn Construction
Concrete Supplier: Platte River Concrete Co.