Cast Stone Institute Latest News


	Latest News CAST STONE INSTITUTE PRODUCER MEMBER 10 YEAR LIMITED PRODUCT WARRANTY As of January 1, 2011, all Certified Cast Stone Institute Producing Members will provide a 10 year Limited Product Warranty for the Cast Stone they supply on projects. Continuing to lead the industry, the Cast Stone Institute (CSI) Producer Members voted on October 8, 2010 to adopt the language for a 10 year Limited Product Warranty. CSI Institute Producer Members are aware of the evolving environment for products in the marketplace that demand sustainability, durability and useable service life. This warranty demonstrates that CSI Producer Members embrace these principles and produce product that will stand the test of time. WHO IS The Cast Stone Institute? The Cast Stone Institute®, founded in 1927, is an organization of certified Cast Stone Manufacturers and related professionals committed to developing standards and promoting the use of cast stone. We continually strive to encourage, through research, development and member training, the continual improvement of cast stone’s unique characteristics and educate designers and users of cast stone on the inherent value, quality and best practices in the use of cast stone. Certified Producer Members of the Cast Stone Institute are engaged in the relentless pursuit of excellence in manufacturing. Prior to admission, each potential producer member must submit to a rigorous examination of product quality, safety, testing (including freeze thaw) and meticulous record keeping. They must submit test data twice a year and undergo the recertification process every other year with unannounced inspections. The results of these efforts include consistently high product quality, through continuous improvement in manufacturing methods and materials, and the assurance that Cast Stone Institute Certified member plants are “on the job” keeping cast stone a premier building material. The Cast Stone Institute, through its standing committees, disseminates current information and standards regarding the design, manufacturing, installation and use of cast stone. As of January 1, 2011, all Certified Producing Members of the Cast Stone Institute will provide a 10 year Limited Product Warranty for the cast stone they supply on projects. This is yet one more way to showcase the commitment to quality product for the customers. A copy of the warranty is available via the link below. What is Cast Stone? Cast Stone is a premier masonry product that provides ornamental or functional features to buildings and other structures as per ASTM C1364-10. It is made from fine and coarse aggregates, Portland cement, mineral oxide color pigments, chemical admixtures and water. Cast stone products are available in virtually any color, and will give the appearance of a variety of natural building stones including but not limited to limestone, granite, slate, travertine or marble. Applications for Cast Stone range from the simplest windowsills to the most complicated architectural elements. Properly manufactured, Cast Stone has the same or stronger physical properties as most dimensional building stone. Properly selected and installed, cast stone can result in an architectural project of enduring beauty to be enjoyed for decades. Care and installation of cast stone are referenced in many of the Cast Stone Institute publications and tech bulletins available on this website. • View Warranty as PDF IMPORTANT! CAST STONE AS PER ASTM C-1364 IN BUILDING CODES The International Code Council (ICC) Family of Building Codes, including those for all structures, residential and others, have now been adopted in most States. These Codes are legally binding and supersede any other specification unless referenced in these documents. Most all materials in the Codes are referenced by definition and as per their ASTM number. In the past, Cast Stone has been referenced by definition only as a material that replicated natural stone with no ASTM requirement. This allowed for other products to be referenced in the Code under Cast Stone when it was not the same material. The Institute, through the efforts of the Masonry Alliance for Codes and Standards, forwarded a Code Change proposal to the ICC to require that Cast Stone be defined by, and comply with the requirements of ASTM C1364. This proposal was voted at the final action hearings in May 2010 and adopted. It will be included in the 2012 International Building Code (IBC) which will be available for distribution in April 2011. This is important for the Cast Stone industry as our product will be clearly defined and separated from other products, such as adhered veneer and lesser quality precast/masonry products. An architect or designer who specifies Cast Stone will indeed get what they have intended. All of our Cast Stone Institute members are supplying product that complies with ASTM C1364 so this is a win for us. All of the Cast Stone industry does not necessarily comply with all of the requirements of ASTM C1364 (which includes a freeze thaw component). It is our hope that this and other measures we are taking in the standards arena - note related article – will increase the product quality and therefore reduce failures from inferior Cast Stone product in the future. This initiative is yet one more benefit of being a Cast Stone Institute Member. We are looking out for our members and the industry and being proactive in this very important topics. CSI 2011 Design & Manufacturing Excellence Award Winners The following winners were chosen by a panel of judges and were recognized during the Annual Convention Dinner. Residential Name of Project: Cadence Lane Residence Location: Plano, Texas Producer Member: Advanced Cast Stone Architect: Shaddock & McNaught Mason: Shaddock & McNaught Name of Project: Private Residence Pennsylvania Location: Pennsylvania Producer Member: Sun Precast Company, Inc. Architect/Mason: D’Alessio Inspired Architectural Designs Commercial Name of Project: University of St. Thomas, Anderson Athletic & Recreation Center Location: St. Paul, Minnesota Producer Member: American Artstone Company Architect: Opus Architects & Engineers Mason: Opus Design Build, LLC Name of Project: SMU Perkins School of Theology Location: Dallas, Texas Producer Member: Advanced Cast Stone, Inc. Architect: Bryce Weigand/Good Fulton & Farrell Architect Mason: Justin Daniels/Dee Brown Restoration Name of Project: 714 Main Street Location: Fort Worth, Texas Producer Member: Advanced Cast Stone, Inc. Architect: Schwarz-Hanson Architects Mason: DR Cummings/ Bear Masonry Name of Project: Princeton University Press Location: Princeton, New Jersey Producer Member: Sun Precast Company, Inc. Architect: Harald Greve, Applied Engineering & Technology Mason: Masonry Preservation Group Hardscape Name of Project: Our Lady of Walsingham Hardscape Location: Houston, Texas Producer Member: Siteworks, Inc. Architect: John Clements / Jackson & Ryan Architects Mason: Fretz Construction Co., Inc. Name of Project: Edgewater Obelisk Location: Webster, Texas Producer Member: Siteworks, Inc. Architect: John Wallace and Blake Coleman / TBG Partners Mason: Andrew Hoggatt / Hoggatt LP Architect’s Choice Name of Project: Our Lady of Walsingham Location: Houston, Texas Producer Member: Siteworks, Inc. Architect: John Clements / Jackson & Ryan Architects Mason: Fretz Construction Co., Inc. Manufacturing Name of Project: Reagan Place Location: Dallas, Texas Producer Member: Advanced Cast Stone, Inc. Name of Project: Princeton University Press Location: Princeton, New Jersey Producer Member: Sun Precast Company, Inc. The Awards winners can be viewed anytime on the Photographs section of the website. Cast Stone Dilemma - Published Article View as HTML • View as PDF Adhered Veneer - Published Article View as HTML • View as PDF