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Concrete Canoes in the Capital!


Media Contact(s):
Joan Buhrman, ASCE
Phone:   703-295-6406
E-mail: jbuhrman@asce.org





March 30, 2004

Concrete Canoes in the Capital!
Annual competition kicks off opening weekend of National Building Museum exhibition exploring architectural and engineering marvels in concrete


Washington, D.C. - Hundreds of civil engineering students from across North America will converge in the nation's capital June 18-20, 2004 for the National Concrete Canoe Competition, an event that challenges students from top civil engineering schools to make the impossible a reality: design, build and race canoes made of concrete. The American Society of Civil Engineers and Master Builders, organizers and sponsors of the competition, are partnering with the National Building Museum this year to present the Competition as part of a weekend of festivities celebrating the opening of a new exhibition:Liquid Stone: New Architecture in Concrete. On the opening day of the exhibition, the museum will stage a Concrete Carnival, and will welcome kids and their families to share in the wonder of concrete and its applications through hands-on activities, and direct interaction with the young competitors of the National Concrete Canoe Competition. The Concrete Canoe Competition, the Liquid Stone exhibition opening and the Concrete Carnival will be the main elements during three days of festivities held under the banner "Celebrating Concrete!" that will showcase the engineering ingenuity that has taken concrete from sidewalk surfaces to new and innovative applications. "We are delighted to join the National Building Museum in celebrating the innovative and often surprising ways in which concrete is used today," said ASCE Executive Director Patrick J. Natale, P.E., F.ASCE. "We hope to impart a new appreciation for the unique problem-solving skills that these future engineers possess in utilizing concrete that defy the stereotypes of the material and our profession."

"Over the years, competitors have surpassed our expectations for creative applications of concrete in the design and construction of the canoes. It is our hope that staging the competition during the opening of the Liquid Stone exhibition will provide inspiration to the students. It will also be a showcase where the general public can see the many ways concrete can be used in the building trades," said Mike Shydlowski, president and CEO of Master Builders, industry-leading admixture supplier and primary corporate sponsor of the event.

Liquid Stone, sponsored by world-wide building materials manufacturer Lafarge, will survey cutting-edge architecture in which the versatility of concrete is an essential aspect of the design. The exhibition will demonstrate that architects are using concrete to achieve incredibly varied - sometimes even diametrically opposite - aesthetic objectives. It will also include components explaining the technologies that make these various design strategies possible. The exhibition will conclude with a look at the future of concrete, including astonishing new hybrid versions of the material that may revolutionize design and construction in the 21st century. Liquid Stone opens to the public on Saturday, June 19, 2004, and runs through January 23, 2005. The Catholic University of America is the ASCE student chapter host university for the 17th Annual National Concrete Canoe Competition.

The event challenges student teams to design a concrete canoe that not only looks good on paper, but can actually win races. Seventy percent of the competition is based on the canoe design, a written design paper and a business presentation. These events will be held at the museum on June 18 and 19. The remaining 30 percent is based on a series of slalom/endurance and sprint races - the marquee event - to be held on the last day of competition, June 20, at Lake Fairfax in Reston, Va. Prior to racing, the canoes must pass a floatation test in which the students demonstrate that their canoes do indeed float. The floatation tests will be held at the National Building Museum on Saturday, June 19.

For additional information on the National Concrete Canoe Competition, visit the ASCE website at http://www.asce.org. Additional details on the Liquid Stone exhibition can be found at http://www.nbm.org.

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Founded in 1852, ASCE represents 130,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America's oldest national engineering society. ASCE celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2002.

Founded in 1909, Master Builders, Inc. is a leading provider of innovative chemical and mineral admixtures used in the production of specialty and high quality concrete used in the ready mix, precast, manufactured concrete products, paving and underground markets. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, Master Builders, Inc. operates as part of Degussa Construction Chemicals, the largest manufacturer of construction chemicals worldwide. The parent company, Degussa AG, is headquartered in D?sseldorf, Germany and is the world's largest specialty chemical company.

The National Building Museum is America's premier cultural institution dedicated to exploring and celebrating architecture, design, engineering, construction, and urban planning. The Museum is located at 401 F Street NW, Washington, D.C. Museum hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Public inquiries: 202.272.2448 or visit http://www.nbm.org.

 



   
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