Harrisonburg, VA: A local business, Design Concrete Builders Inc. of Harrisonburg, was presented with the prestigious Virginia Chapter of the American Concrete Institute (ACI) award on March 4, 2010. The ACI Award is given to a select few companies each year that have shown leadership in applying concrete technologies to advance sustainable design. Design Concrete Builders was presented with this award for their forward approach to concrete design, specifically their construction of high performance energy efficient housing in Harrisonburg.

The 2010 Virginia ACI Conference was held March 4 in Richmond. Hank Keiper of Virginia ACI presented the 2009 Residential Excellence in Concrete Award and the Overall Commonwealth Award Winner to Eugene and Joe Friesen of Design Concrete Builders for their work in design and innovative uses of concrete in an Insulated Concrete home located at 4471 Magnolia Ridge Drive here in Harrisonburg. Trevor Whetzel of Rockingham Redi-Mix was also presented with an award for recognition as the supplier for the winning project.

The theme of the 2010 Virginia Concrete Conference was Concrete: Leading the Way. The event focused on the many practical uses to apply concrete to the construction industry to work towards building a more sustainable world. All of these factors were considered in nominating the award winning projects from 2009. The project by Design Concrete Builders demonstrates a commitment to be on the cutting edge of working towards building more sustainably for an energy efficient future through the use of cement based materials. These materials include Insulated Concrete Walls, a cement-based overlay applied to a deck, and decorative stamped concrete patio and driveway. The exterior finish of the home was also completed with cement-based siding and stonework.