Masters Supplies Pervious Concrete For Parker Hill Church | Mon, November 23, 2009

Two years ago PACA was contacted by a representative from The McKnight Group, a design/build firm located in Grove City, Ohio. The company had been contracted by Parker Hill Church to construct an addition onto the existing building at its Clarks Summit location and was interested in pervious concrete.

As the company started to move forward with the project they learned that the site had exceeded its impervious cover limit. PACA staff member Ken Crank met with representatives from The McKnight Group, the church, and local officials to explain pervious concrete and its benefits. He also provided sample ordinance language that could be used to modify the existing code and allow for the use of pervious concrete. Without this change the church addition could not have been built.

Along with the installation pervious concrete, the project also featured the use of Insulating Concrete Forms (ICF’s). The McKnight group has started incorporating ICF’s into their project designs. Mr. Ronald Zinn, Senior Project Architect for the McKnight Group noted “In the case of the design for this project, ICF’s made tremendous sense. ICF construction creates a building that is very energy efficient, while providing excellent sound attenuation. Aspects of the building also possessed an EIFS (Exterior Insulation Finishing System) exterior. The foam that comprised the form portion of the ICF allowed us to minimize the prep involved prior to applying the exterior finish”. “The walls of the project went up very quickly, and we were pleased with the expertise exhibited by the concrete contractor, Benedict Construction. We will definitely use ICF’s for future projects” he stated.ICF Addition

The pervious concrete was installed by Magruder Construction. The company’s pervious concrete division, out of Sanford, Florida has extensive experience placing the material. After spending several hours on the job and talking with Magruder’s superintendent, Bruce Glaspey, it is clear this in not his first rodeo. Having placed over 2 million square feet of pervious concrete this gentlemen brought tremendous insight with him.

“Attention to detail and a cooperative effort between the contractor and the concrete supplier are critical. The mix has to be properly designed and consistent from batch to batch” stated Glaspey. “The supplier on this project, Masters Ready Mixed Concrete, did a great job working with us” he noted.

Pervious Concrete Parking LotProject Manager Ralph Redwine (The McKnight Group) stated that there were several challenges with the placement of the pervious concrete. Most notable was the slope that the parking area was constructed on. “Due to the slope of the lot, a series of dams was constructed within the entire parking area footprint. The dams provide breaks between paving sections and direct the water downward, through the system”.

This installation is the first of its size in the area and will allow architects and engineers in northeastern Pennsylvania to view pervious concrete up close.

ICF Project Offers Advantages For Monastery | Mon, November 23, 2009

St. Nektarios Monastery

If you travel northeast across the Pennsylvania state line you’ll come to the town of Roscoe, New York. Tucked in the hills of Roscoe is the St. Nektarios Monastery. Founded in 1998 by Archimandrite Ephrem of Philotheou Monastery, St. Nektarios is home to 19 residents. In addition to those that live there full time, St. Nektarios also houses groups coming to the monastery for retreats. Attendance for those those retreats can range from 20-50 people.

As the monastery continues to grow it has seen the need to add housing to the campus. There are currently two dormitory facilities under construction, both of which are taking advantage of the benefits offered through the use of Insulating Concrete Forms (ICF’s).

A recent visit to the monastery provided us with an opportunity to speak with Father Epifanios Kapritsas. Father Epifanios gave us a tour of the grounds and discussed the decision to use ICF’s. “It is a superior building method. Concrete buildings have been done in Europe for centuries, and they are still standing to this day. ICF construction in combination with concrete is a clean, permanent way to construct a building that will be here for 100+ years” he stated.

Construction“There are numerous advantages to building with ICF’s; the walls can be left exposed (without a roof on) during the winter with no damage to the structure during the construction phase. This would not be possible with wood construction. The insulation factor is excellent. Concrete walls have high thermal mass: the building tends to be cooler inside in the summer months, and retains heat better in the winter months so energy bills are lower.”

East WingHe further stated that, “ICF construction simplifies the steps of the construction: no need to plywood, tyvek, or insulate the walls. The interior of ICF walls are ready to accept drywall. The exterior of the building is ready to accept stucco, or stone. You can visualize the external appearance of a structure (window & door openings) as you erect ICF’s prior to pouring. There is a sound insulation factor that makes the inside of the building very quiet to outside noise. Walls are not affected by moisture and humidity as wood is; hence, no mold, rotting, warpage or odor occurs, as associated with wood. Installation is easier than steel erection. No crane, or welding required. The foam blocks are lightweight and easy to cut. The overall cost is less than a steel framed structure.”

Father Epifanios also noted the fire safe construction appeal of using ICF’s and concrete; “In case of a fire, the framework of the structure will be left intact.”

ConstructionWhile the monastery is located in New York, Pennsylvania Aggregates and Concrete Association members have played a vital role in the material supply chain. Masters Ready Mixed Concrete (Kingsley, PA) has provided approximately 1900 yards of concrete between the two buildings and Conewago Enterprises (Hanover, PA) supplied the pre-cast concrete decking used in the construction of the second facility.

Construction at the monastery is not finished yet. There are plans for a church and two guest houses…yes, they will all be constructed with ICF’s.