World of Concrete Highlights AAC

WOC’s 49th annual trade show showcased new concrete technologies and innovations, and provided networking and educational opportunities for contractors, architects, and engineers.

Some new offerings featured in this year’s show included a Women’s Association of Concrete Professionals panel, an Innovative Products Award program with winners to be announced later this month and an Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) Pavilion.

A low-carbon material, highly durable AAC can reduce the structural costs of steel and cement by 20% to 27%. Its resiliency, insulating qualities, fire resistance, soundproofing capabilities and cost effectiveness are drawing attention to this concrete innovation.

As to why the show chose to showcase the building material, Lamb explains, “after a few years of challenges with integration into the U.S. market, there is now a renewed interest and steady demand for AAC in the U.S. that could make it a mainstream building material.”

Amongst the 160 educational sessions contractors, engineers and architects took part in this year were courses on the advantages of AAC for U.S. construction projects, how to write tighter concrete

FEATURED PRODUCTS specifications, repairing and restoring historic and architectural masonry surfaces, and designing and installing concrete toppings for buildings.

While contractors comprised a good portion of the attendees, designers came away with important insights and knowledge as well. “As new practices come into focus and new technologies and materials are leveraged, these industry shifts impact others within the building business ecosystem. Knowing the challenges builders face and the innovations the industry is working towards helps better inform architectural understanding and positively impacts decisions in projects. This results in strategically aligned partnerships between architecture professionals and builders, and drives holistic market insights,” concludes Lamb.

CONCRETE SENSORS

Showcased at the World of Concrete, this concrete sensor from Hilti provides accurate real-time information about the jobsite concrete’s temperature, maturity and relative humidity, enabling project teams to make better informed project workflow decisions.

Touting the title of the world’s first bagged low embodied carbon concrete, Belter Bio Crete is made with 36% recycled concrete, offers an R-value of 2.1 per inch and 64-pound, cubic-foot dry density. The product is made from carbon-capturing biochar, which is a type of charcoal created when organic materials are burned in the absence of oxygen.

Belter Tech www.beltertech.com

As project management and construction sites become more and more digitized, high quality viewing monitors are essential. Debuting its new PowerView 700, 7-in. glass display at World of Concrete, Enovation Controls offers a waterproof IP69K enclosure, a glove-friendly capacitive touchscreen, quality viewability in sunlight and vivid 24-bit color on an 800 × 480 LCD display.

Enovation Controls | www.enovationcontrols.com

This takes over the laborious task of overhead drilling. Programmed with digital plans, the Jaibot marks and drills holes in the ceiling while workers operate the robot and track project progress and status through data. The robot offers quality installation and saves on time and cost in coordinating with multiple contractors.

Hilti | www.hilti.com

The True Smart Level is a precise construction altimeter with 3D terrain mapping. With no need for a story pole or complicated equations, the digitized device enables teams to survey a job in X, Y and Z format, directly uploading the data into CAD. Project teams can then determine the quantity of materials required, the amount of earth and fill that needs to be moved and the man hours required to complete the job. “With the Smart Lever, our engineers are able to gather accurate relative elevation measurements in a very timely fashion, especially when having to navigate through heavily furnished buildings or buildings with a significant amount of partitions,” said Asher Cohen, P.E., professional engineer, U.S. Forensic.

Smart Level | www.smartlevel.us

Colors

Sherwin-Williams’ 2023 Colormix Forecast TERRA features rich earth tones, natural clays, sunbaked sands, restorative neutrals, and powdery pastels to bring warmth and comfort.

In its 2023 Colormix Forecast, Sherwin-Williams recognizes the interweaving of ourselves and our spaces. Now more than ever, our spaces must foster mental well-being, energize new connections, and help us embrace our communities after years of isolation.

These warm, Southwestern colors are intended to create comfortable environments that feel “homier” and calm—especially when paired with softtextured, wooden, or minimalistic products.

The new Terra palette also provides a subdued backdrop for any space that must double as a Zoom backdrop, compared to these shades’ highly saturated counterparts. These new colors help to create sensory-friendly environments that successfully cater to both work and socialization in the commercial, education, industrial and healthcare sectors.

Students have always needed hybrid workspaces to inspire focus, engagement, and creativity. Now, color can complement these holistic and comfortable learning spaces. Pure White, Skyline Steel and Kale piggyback on biophilic design choices—natural wooden materials, copious amounts of natural light and natural greenery—to create a whole, healthforward space that feels put together.

To create stronger, in-person connections, commercial designs are offering open, team-building areas. In these spaces, Sherwin-Williams recommends colors with a casual, earthy vibe, such as Silver Mint and Shiitake. These hues play nicely with fresh greenery, open floor plans and proximity to outdoor workspaces.

In quiet focus areas, colors like Reddened Earth and Mineral Gray are recommended. These hues promote focus and mental well-being.

For a striking splash of color, there is a Fabulous Grape. This warm purple inspires creativity as a striking accent wall in a private office—or serves as a colorful backdrop for watercooler conversation. Another stunning color from the purple family is Carnelian, a deep saturated violet with warm red undertones that appears almost brown in some lighting.

Sherwin-Williams

| www.sherwin-williams.com

Sherwin-Williams 2023 Color of the Year is Redend Point. It is a warm, inviting, rich, earthly hue that is more neutral than you might think. This rosy brown is described by Sue Wadden, Sherwin-Williams’ director of color marketing as “not too light or too dark.” One of the defining characteristics of this color is its warmth—a nod to the empathy and care culture that were identified by Sherwin-Williams as central themes for 2023.