Design Assistance for Buildings Initiative is Forming New Partnerships

Back in April, NRMCA launched its new Build With Strength brand in San Diego. In the 12 weeks since the launch the NRMCA Buildings Team has been busy reaching out to members, affiliates, industry allies, contractors and designers to identify developers with an interest in taking advantage of the new Design Assistance Program (DAP) for buildings. The results so far have been extremely positive, with four DAPs completed and that many more getting under way, reports NRMCA Senior Director, Building Innovations, Gregg Lewis.

Housed virtually in the Concrete Design Center, the DAP for Buildings initiative relies on a small, but growing team of design consultants to review conceptual or schematic level building designs and provide recommendations for converting these projects from wood frame or steel to concrete. The process allows NRMCA personnel to develop relationships with new industry partners. For example, an ICF installer in the Mid-Atlantic region who can point a developer to the Concrete Design Center stands a better chance of converting that 4-story multi-family project. The retailer who is planning to build a number of new outlets across the south will save money by working with the NRMCA team to streamline its designs and more fully integrate ready mixed concrete into its projects. The end result of these new relationships is that NRMCA becomes a valuable and trusted resource to these new industry partners – and results in more concrete buildings.

"We’re very excited about the strong, positive response we have already gotten from the developers and owners we are working with," Lewis said. "This is very likely to snowball as we start to convert some of these current projects."

NRMCA members can help by reaching out to their contacts and pointing them to DAP resources available to developers in their markets. NRMCA now has a Concrete Design Center that can work with developers to provide concrete solutions to building projects.