WHEN DISASTERS STRIKE...

A Better Way To BuildSpancrete…Strength And Durability

SPANCRETE® STANDS FIRM!

WHEN TORNADOS STRIKE...

With over 1,200 tornados striking the United States annually, wouldn’t it make sense to protect your family and property in a

SOLID STRUCTURE?

According to the National Weather Service, nearly 100 people lose their lives in tornados every year. If there is a chance that your family or property could be devastated by a twister, using SPANCRETE® hollowcore could make the difference between life and death!

Design-construction teams all over the country are building

structures to withstand tornado-force storms. A solid

structure using SPANCRETE hollowcore wall and floor panels

can be designed to withstand a tornado or wind storm.

Contact your local representative to see how you can

build with CONFIDENCE!

SPANCRETE STANDS FIRM!

WHEN EARTHQUAKES STRIKE...

SPANCRETE STANDS FIRM!

SPANCRETE, in conjunction with THE INTERNATIONAL CODE COUNCIL (ICC), has completed a study on building structures using SPANCRETE® hollowcore wall and floor panels. Please consult with your local representative for help in designing connections to withstand an earthquake in your seismic zone.

The 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake (7.2 magnitude), commonly referred to as the Kobe earthquake, was one of the most devastating earthquakes ever to hit Japan; more than 5,500 were killed and over 26,000 injured. The economic loss has been estimated at about $US 200 billion. The proximity of the epicenter and the propagation of rupture directly beneath the highly populated region help explain the great loss of life and the high level of destruction.

Kyupih Commodity Exchange Center - Bottom face of Spancrete plank and surface of

concrete had no cracks after 7.2 M earthquake.

Tohyo Fishing Co., Ltd. - Cold storage warehouse showed no cracks in Spancrete wall panels.

Ashahi Bank - Damaged bank constructed without Spancrete hollowcore.

Shinwa-unyu Co.,Ltd. - Ground fallen at base of warehouse and not one crack on Spancrete wall panels.

WHEN HURRICANES STRIKE...

DURABILITY IN HIGH WIND CONDITIONSSPANCRETE® hollowcore lays the groundwork for a solid structure that will withstand the high wind speeds generated in a hurricane.

STORM SURGETypically, residential and commercial structures are built using a break-away ground floor. When the storm surge hits these walls, they are separated from the rest of the structure, leaving the precast columns and beams which support the upper levels. The upper levels as well as the contents will remain high and dry.

Destroyed non-precast buildings after the third strongest hurricane

on record in the United States, Hurricane Katrina, made landfall.

SPANCRETE STANDS FIRM!

SPANCRETE STANDS FIRM!

Pascagoula Naval Air Station built with precast 1 week after Hurricane Katrina.

Gulfport, MS Federal Courthouse built with Spancrete one week after Katrina.

Ivester house built with precast hollowcore slabs still standing after Katrina.

As snow piles up on roofs, it

adds weight that may not have

been accounted for when the

structures were built. If the snow

load, which depends mostly on

the water content of snow rather

than the depth, is too great, a

building’s roof could collapse.

SPANCRETE® hollowcore roof plank can prevent the chance of collapse. A typical 30-foot-span, 8 inch plank

would easily carry this type of load condition.

Building designers can protect themselves against negligence

liability by specifying SPANCRETE hollowcore plank for extreme

load conditions. SPANCRETE meets or exceeds code requirements

and can easily adapt to any structural needs. Before designing

your next project, call your local representative. It will be time

well spent!

Roof collapse due to snow load.

SPANCRETE STANDS FIRM!

WHEN WINTER STORMS STRIKE...

Roof joist buckling due to snow load.

Snow loads on this Denver residence caused the wall and exterior brick to fall.

SPANCRETE OFFERS PROTECTION:THE VITAL ELEMENT IN THE SAFETY PACKAGEBuilt-in fire resistance and containment make SPANCRETE a natural weapon against destruction and devastation from fire. Precast, prestressed concrete is the ideal non-combustible building material. It plays a vital role in protecting lives and property from fire:

• Precastconcretedoesnotburn• Precastconcretedoesnotproducelethalsmokeorfumes• Precastconcretedoesnotcontributefueltothefire;instead,itcontains fire at the point of origin• Precastconcretemaintainsstructuralintegrityeveninthemostintenseblazes• Precastconcreteendureswhenothersafetydevicesfail

WHEN FIRES STRIKE...One of the attributes of SPANCRETE® hollowcore plank is excellent fire resistance. More than 30 standard fire tests (ASTM E119) have been conducted on hollowcore floor assemblies. The Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. “Fire Resistance Directory” includes more than 50 design numbers for hollowcore plank that qualifies for ratings of 1, 2, 3, or 4 hours. Construction that conforms to these designs is assigned ratings by most U.S. building codes.

THE PROOF: AN INSIDE LOOKDuring construction, fire completely destroyed three wood-frame levels of a four-story combination commercial and apartment complex in Minneapolis. After the fire, the first floor commercial area, which was built with fire-rated SPANCRETE hollowcore plank and masonry, was still intact. None of the framing and materials stored beneath the SPANCRETE was damaged.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Precast concrete answers the concerns raised by other building materials when it comes to fire safety. It is a critical part of balanced design and an effective fire protection plan.

After this hotel room was burned out and engineers verified structural

stability, the room was cleaned, painted, and refurnished for occupancy.

SPANCRETE STANDS FIRM!