Joe Nasvik

Joe Nasvik 10832748

Joe Nasvik is a writer and editor serving the concrete industry. He has 18 years experience as a concrete contractor. Contact him at jnasvik@sbcglobal.net.

This graphic shows you how ICF swimming pools are put together. The footings are formed and placed first, then the ICF walls. When workers place the concrete in the walls they also cast the floor at the same time.

Building Swimming Pools with ICFs

Homeowner demand for swimming pools constructed using ICF products, leads one manufacturer to create a system that made it economical to build them.

Lumen high-rise condominium project used SUNDEK’s Sun Stone overlay patterning system to provide a decorative finish over the building's structural concrete. Outdoor common areas on the 7th and 32nd floors received the treatment.

The Lumen Project Tackles Decorative Concrete on a High-Rise

A hand-carved overlay was developed to address the weight challenges traditional concrete pavers would have presented.

As extreme weather events become stronger and more frequent, the method for building homes must change too. Building structures must remain intact to provide safety for inhabitants and return to normal life shortly afterwards. Concrete construction can provide this.

The Case for Concrete Homes

The challenge is to build homes that can remain intact in any severe weather event, be more energy efficient, be reasonably priced, and be reoccupied shortly after a disaster so that life can go on with minimal disruption.

Vapor barriers manage water vapor movement into a building, reduce the risk of floor-sweating, control radon gas exposure, and ensure the successful application of moisture sensitive floor finishes.

Selecting and Installing Vapor Retarders under Concrete Floors

What contractors need to know about vapor retarders as protection for moisture sensitive flooring materials.

In February of 2017 the California Department of Water Resources opened the spillway on the Oroville Dam to reduce the flood water level of the lake. Rushing water destroyed the center portion of the spillway floor, washed away a section of the spillway wall, and created a 150 deep canyon in the spillway. With the dam at risk in the event of another flood an emergency construction project commenced to replace the spillway and the emergency spillway beside it. Photo Credit: DWR

A Rush Against the Clock to Protect the Oroville Dam

How a team of engineers and construction crews restored the spillway before the next flood season.

Surface cracking happens while the concrete is still fresh and before it undergoes initial set. Weather conditions not favorable to concrete are the primary cause. The best protection for contractors is to collect on-site ambient weather data and concrete temperatures and use the nomograph to predict whether cracking will occur.

What To Do About Surface Cracking and Surface Crusting

You know you shouldn’t place concrete when there is rain in the forecast but there are other conditions you shouldn’t either.

Although the U.S. economy is doing well, economic well-being is more regional than national. The map shows how different regions are doing right now.

Intractable Politics and Stocks Leave Construction Economy Riding Main Street Wave

Portland Cement Assoc. expects general economic strength -- job creation, GDP, interest rates, consumer wealth -- to continue carrying construction growth

The only joints in a “jointless floor” is a construction joint and these are carefully layed out so as to not occur in high traffic areas. Placing PrimX concrete is very close to the process used to place other flooring systems.

Floors without Control Joints

PrīmXComposite jointless concrete flooring system’s shrinkage-compensating admixture causes steel fiber in the concrete to act as pre-stressed reinforcement

Keefe Duhon started as a machinist but became intrigued with decorative concrete and ended up starting his own decorative contracting company. His love for creative expression was a strong motivating factor.

Pushing on the Boundaries of Artistic Concrete

Transitioning from being a machinist to a decorative concrete contractor.

As batteries get bigger and better they are powering tools never before thought possible. The 12 amp-hour battery powering this chain saw can cut down a 15” diameter tree and then buck it up into firewood lengths all on one charge.

Revisiting Power Tool Batteries

Run-time vs. weight vs. smallest size

At the heart of the asset management programs offered by tool manufactures are these electronic chips. They can be mounted to any tool, piece of equipment, or device that a contractor wants to manage. The signals they send out are picked up by smartphones, tablets, or computers to establish location. Tool manufactures also sell tools with these chips imbedded in the tool and ready to use.

Managing Your Assets

New asset management tools from manufacturers help contractors plan for tools use and protect them from theft or damage.

Milwaukee Tools new concrete strike-off level is designed to increase productivity and be comfortable to use.

A Level and a Strike-Off

Combining three tools into one.

Workers are placing Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) on a bridge deck for the Iowa Department of Transportation. Precast panels and structurally tying the rebar together extending from the panels.

Ultra-High Performance Concrete

A type of concrete you haven’t heard about, but should.

Using Microsoft HoloLens technology, manufacturers serving the construction industry are beginning to provide contractors with holographic 3D images what help them understand their work tasks better.

Using Mixed Reality Technology in Construction

Mixing reality and virtual reality in 3D.

Management on the jobsite includes (left to right) Kevin McGrath—Assistant Concrete Superintendent, Rachael Dolecki—Concrete Safety Manager, Pete Vondra—Carpenter General Foreman, Max Levin—Concrete Project Manager, and Kevin Morley—Concrete Superintendent.

Building the Vista Tower

Placing and finishing one floor every day.

In 2000 the DCC conducted decorative concrete demos at the World of Concrete to encourage interest in this growing industry.

The Decorative Concrete Council Turns Twenty

The Decorative Concrete Council (DCC) functions as an integral part of the ASCC concrete contractor membership but focuses on the specific interests for those involved in the production and installation of decorative concrete.

The new internet interactive pavement design program created by the ACPA, PCA, and NRMCA makes it easy to design a wide variety of pavements—even residential driveways.

A New Interactive Design Tool for Pavement

A design program that is simple to use.

The top level of this Baltimore parking ramp was once a pedestrian plaza but the need for 150 new parking spaces led to a rehab project performed by the Bartley Corporation.

Adding a Ramp to a Parking Deck

The contractor was chosen for the project based their careful workmanship and attention to detail.

Staying warm in the winter on a construction jobsite can be challenging. In addition to the temperature, workers must dress for wind chill and wet conditions in the form of humidity, ice and snow.

Staying Warm on the Jobsite

Keeping warm in all kinds of weather and jobs.

In a rare move the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) designed this ad to inform the public about the advantage of using steel and concrete to promote resilient buildings that protect both people and structures in the event of fire.

Defining Resilient vs. Sustainable Buildings and Structures

Better defining how buildings should perform.

Concrete is probably the most versatile material for making countertops. It can take any shape, be colored almost any color, have expose aggregate that is either natural or man-made, be stained or dyed, diamond polished to a high shine or left in a more rough state. They can be cast-in-place or precasted in controlled settings. The opportunity to be creative is endless.

Concrete Countertops

An examination of current trends.

The Geffen Theater is a structural concrete sphere that will weigh 25 million pounds. The outside surface is made from precast concrete panels molded for a specific location. Two feet of highly reinforced shotcrete is placed against the precast on the inside. The penetration holes in the precast will be used to support the glass canopy mounted two feet away from the precast. The projection booth will extend out from the sphere through the large square opening. Notice the color of the shoring towers, it indicates the amount of load they can carry. .

A Museum and Theater for the Motion Picture Industry

Building a theater in the air.

The low-rise multifamily construction is currently losing more market share to the wood industry than any other segment of the concrete industry. Podiums, the part of the building containing parking and commercial space, are still concrete construction. The rest of the structure is typically wood frame. Changing building codes is one reason for this.

Concrete versus Wood

Wood is taking market share away from concrete. How does the concrete industry reclaim market share?

Unvented heating can cause serious problems to fresh concrete. This nicely finished floor carbonated within the first couple days, causing the surface to pull up when tape was removed.

Carbonation in Freshly Placed Slabs

The reaction between cement paste and carbon dioxide in the air.