Two Illinois Contractors Honored for Safety

Two Midwest contractors with commendable safety records were recently recognized by the St. Louis-based American Society of Concrete Contractors.

Morton, Ill.-based Wm. Aupperle & Sons Inc. won the Best Safety Achievement Award for a general contractor with less than 100,000 work-hours.

Spring Grove, Ill.-based Swederski Concrete Construction Inc. also won the honor in the category of specialty contractor with less than 100,000 work-hours.

Four other companies outside the four-state Midwest region were also recognized.

The awards were based on companies' incident rate for 2004.

Spanish-English Dictionary, Phrase Book Issued

The Washington, D.C.-based American Road & Transportation Builders Association has announced the availability of two publications to help contractors communicate better with Spanish speaking workers.

The pocket-size Spanish-English dictionary features nearly 1,500 words and terms frequently used on construction sites for $13.

The "Spanish-English Construction Communication" book, a companion publication for $28, contains thousands of words broken into lists of safety terms, related slang and common sentences related to each phase of construction.

For more information, contact Christy Woodall at 888-821-9653 or at cwoodall@artba.org. The publications can also be purchased online at www.artbastore.org.

Two Chicago Projects Win Precast Awards

Two Chicago projects recently won in the 2005 Design Awards competition that the Chicago-based Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute sponsors.

The Archer Court Townhouse project was named the Best Multifamily Project and the 840 N. Lake Shore Dr. won the award as Best High-Rise Multifamily Project.

The Archer Court project used architectural precast concrete panels to clad the building's facade and help complete the structure in the shortest time possible, improving the owner's return on investment.

The panel designs feature tall, narrow panels acting as two-story "columns" at the first and second floors, with a side panel spanning from column to column. Window headers and sills were recessed in the panels, with a recessed drip edge along the header to ensure water can't seep back into the window.

For the 840 N. Lake Shore Drive project, the use of controlled joints and the use of color in the precast created an elegant design solution for multifamily housing. This design will create a durable cladding for many, many, many years. It sets the proper standard for future projects.

CAF Presents Awards for Excellence in Construction

The Portage, Ind.-based Construction Advancement Foundation announced its annual Excellence in Construction winners.