GeneralCommentariesCommittee Chair Memo – The Strength Behind the Nozzle: Why Great Shotcrete Crews Build Great Projects
Derek Pay, Education and Safety Committee Chair
Read MoreWalk onto almost any exceptional-looking shotcrete project and ask who gets the credit: Chances are the answer will be the person holding the nozzle. While the shotcreter certainly carries tremendous responsibility, anyone who has spent years in this industry knows…
GeneralCommentariesExecutive Director Update: What is ASA?
Charles S. Hanskat, P.E., F.ACI, F.ASCE, ASA Executive Director
Read MoreIn my travels and presentations as Executive Director over the years, I often get the question — What is ASA? If it’s a brief encounter, my elevator pitch is an expansion of our mission statement: “ASA is the American Shotcrete Association, a nonprofit trade association dedicated to…
GeneralCommentariesASA President’s Message: There Is No ‘I’ In Team
Jason Myers
Read MoreI’m writing this article while watching another great playoff match in the World Cup. Two teams of different nations are playing for national pride, national honor, and of course a little prize money. Most of the team members play the season for a club team somewhere in the world…
ArchitecturalStructuralGeneralSculpted Shotcrete Solution Supports Retail Redevelopment in Maryland
Michael Close, P.E.
Read MoreThe redevelopment of a former Sears building in Hagerstown, Maryland presented an unusual stabilization challenge: Engineers had determined that the building’s exterior wall had effectively become a retaining structure, supporting the roadway above it…
SafetyGeneralDon’t Pull the Pin: Snap Couplings in Shotcrete Applications
Michael Cetnar
Read MoreShotcreting is changing; not only where it’s used, but in how it’s delivered. Today’s projects demand longer reach, tighter schedules, and more consistent placement. Crews are pushing concrete farther by hose — often hundreds of feet — into areas that are harder to access and less forgiving…
UndergroundStructuralGeneralAdvances in Silicate Accelerators for Shotcrete
Vicky Sidorkiewicz and Michael McDonald
Read MoreSodium silicate has long history of use in construction and geotechnical applications due to its versatility and reliable performance. In shotcrete placement, sodium silicate solutions were widely used as…
UndergroundStructuralGeneralAutomated Shotcrete Application in Tunnelling
Igor Schweiggl, Rainer Antretter, Alex Sellemond, Norbert Fügenschuh, and Peter-Rolf Dietrich
Read MoreThe tunnelling industry has again been working toward the automation of shotcrete application for some years now, after research and development stalled around 2005. Robots had been developed with the capability of…
ArchitecturalStructuralGeneralBuddha Statue
Peter Epperson
Read More… then I got a call from a local Buddhist monastery: They asked if our company would build them a 110 ft (34 m) tall concrete statue of the Buddha. It would be the tallest statue of Buddha in the Western Hemisphere. How could I say no? I forgot all about
SafetyGeneralCommentariesIntroducing the Construction Mental Health Alliance: Protecting the People Who Build Our World
Joseph Whiteman
Read MoreIn construction, some of the most effective solutions start outside of the boardroom. They take shape in the field, coming from the people closest to the work — our craft professionals, supervisors, safety professionals, and company leadership, working through real challenges and…
GeneralCommentariesASA Committee Chair Memo: Informing the Market, Making a Difference
Ryan Oakes
Read MoreThe pool and skatepark industries continue to evolve, and with that evolution comes both progress and pressure. In recent years, we have seen the effects of rapid growth, increased demand, and…