Masonry Magazine October 1975 Page. 19
Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) takes on significance in view of the fact that distributor and manufacturer sales performances usually serve as a barometer of the economic strength of the construction industry.
Predictions by the majority of equipment distributors of an 8% median gain in new machinery sales in the last half of the year come as particularly good news to an industry which experienced one of the poorest sales periods in its history during the first six months of 1975. Inventories now being carried by both distributors and manufacturers are expected to be significantly reduced in the second half, thereby improving a sales picture which saw regional first half median declines of as much as 35% in the Northeast, 30% in the South, and 11% in the Midwest and West, as construction contractors and other equipment buyers stayed away from new machinery showrooms.
Equipment manufacturers participating in the same AED survey found themselves in a situation slightly different than that of distributors. Number of new units sold declined a median 16.6%, but manufacturers reported a median 2.7% increase in dollar volume. Representatives from manufacturing firms explained the situation by saying that many machines which were delivered during the first quarter of 1975, were actually ordered last year. In addition, price increases on all types of machines accounted for the higher dollar volume levels recorded this year.
For the remainder of 1975, a majority of manufacturers, like distributors, are optimistic and predict a 10% median increase in new equipment dollar volume over the first half of the year.
To date, 1975's recession-repressed sales of construction equipment have been in stark contrast to record sales in 1974, when distributors had difficulty supplying machines to meet a big demand for equipment. But, distributors and manufacturers now seem to be betting that new orders for machines in second half 1975, coupled with high inventory levels, will make it a profitable year overall, and that the construction equipment industry will see a return to more normal conditions.
New Orland Park Library
ORLAND PARK, III. Construction has started on a 20,000-volume public library, a $400,000 facility being donated to the city by the Aileen S. Andrew Foundation as a memorial to one of its founders.
Totally designed by the international architectural and engineering firm of Welton Becket Associates, the 6000 square-foot library will occupy a 1.3-acre portion of Village Park.
Architect George S. Hammond, AIA, director of the Becket firm's Chicago office, said: "We desired to create a building which would harmonize with the existing low-rise residences in the area and which would achieve the visual importance of a public building." To achieve this effect, the library was designed as a long, rectangular, one-story building with a partial second floor to accommodate a rare book area. On the exterior, brownish-orange iron spot face brick and bronze-tinted glass was chosen to sheathe the walls. Simulated wood shakes cover the roof.
Perlite Filled Cavities Conserve Energy
Heat transmission can be reduced by 50% or more when silicone treated perlite loose fill insulation is poured into the hollow cores of concrete block or cavity type masonry walls. In fact, cavity walls of face brick and tile show a 63% reduction! But that's not all. Silicone treated perlite loose fill insulation is water repellent-indefinitely.
Specs call for a concrete block wall? Perlite loose fill insulation can help too! By filling the core holes with perlite loose fill insulation your fire rating will be doubled to 4 hours and your "U" factor improved by 54%. And you don't have to worry about permanence. Silicone treated perlite is inorganic and rot, vermin and termite proof. And it's non-combustible with its fusion point of 2300°F.
Even a veneer wall of brick and concrete block can show a 52% improvement in insulating value when filled with loose fill perlite. Don't worry about settling -silicone treated perlite supports its own weight in the wall without settling-and it's easy to handle too! Thanks to its countless glass-like cells it's light-weight and easily poured. It's quick-it's inexpensive and it's permanent-the perfect material for insulating masonry walls.
Perlite Institute, Inc.
45 West 45th Street
New York, N.Y. 10036 212-265-2145
masonry
October, 1975
19