Why Concrete Makes Such a Good Building Material

Why Concrete Makes Such a Good Building Material

Concrete is an enormously important resource to the construction industry and the infrastructure of our country.  There are many reasons why building with concrete is such a great idea.  It is one of the most durable materials available and will last for decades, especially when you compared it to wood, asphalt or other materials.  Since concrete is extremely fire resistant, it is also a much safer material to use.

Another factor to consider of why concrete is such an excellence building material is that it is produced locally here in the U.S.  It is estimated that the concrete industry provides over two million jobs to Americans.  Furthermore, the concrete used for a project is generally produced somewhere near to the construction project, which cuts down on transportation and energy cost.  The Portland Cement Association (PCA) sites the regional nature of the cement industry and that nearly 98% of U.S. cement is shipped to customers by truck with the rest by barge or train.

Even after several decades of use, concrete can be recycled into an aggregate that has a hundred or more different uses.  The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) points out the fact that concrete is “green” as it does not have any toxic runoff as asphalt does and is produced locally from abundant local sources.  Thus the mere sustainability of concrete makes it a good choice both environmentally and economically.

The newer high-strength concrete can save a project time and labor cost with earlier form stripping times and less post-tensioning required in floors.  This also results in columns with less rebar congestions.   

To fully appreciate the significance of concrete, you need to know that concrete is the single most widely used man-made material in the world.  It is used to construct the skyline in cities and to build highways, schools, hospitals, factories, entertainment venues and public work projects.  

One of the properties of concrete is that of a natural insulator.  The thermal mass of a concrete wall acts as an efficient insulator in commercial and residential structures that helps to save on heating and cooling expenses.  The concrete forms an integral wall that is exceedingly airtight and solid without allowing any cracks that cause air leaks.  The largest percent of energy lost in a wood structure comes from air leaks.

Concrete buildings offer year-round benefits by allowing the concrete to absorb energy slowly and hold on to it for a much longer period of time than less massive building material.  This both delays and reduces heat transfers, which slows down the temperature fluctuations in a thermal mass building.  Today, modern concrete walls utilize both external insulation and thermal mass to form an energy-efficient structure with fewer spikes in heating and cooling demands.

Some construction is done using Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) that are hollow forms or molds with built-in insulation made of foam or rastra filled with reinforced concrete.  Studies have shown that residential buildings constructed with ICF can provide energy savings of over 20% when compared to the same size wood-framed home in a cold climate.  Structures build using ICF are very quiet, safe buildings that can be outfitted with smaller heating and cooling units, which again saves money.

Conco is a leading supplier of concrete services for the Western United States.  As one of the leading commercial concrete contractors in the San Jose area, we have been involved with large-scale projects in the area including the Mineta Airport.  We have built our reputation in the Los Angeles area with superior concrete formwork, reinforcing, place and finish, shotcrete and other ancillary services that benefit from our vast experience.   Our concrete services include commercial, educational, parking and other construction development as well as public works projects and highways.