DCS to Participate in PCI Committee Days; PCI Revises Architectural Certification Procedures and Specs
SEPTEMBER 2021
DCS is set to attend PCI’s Committee Days, Sept. 22–24 at the Loews Chicago O'Hare Hotel in Rosemont, IL. The meeting will feature more than 60 committee and council meetings along with the PCI Ultra-High Performance Concrete Workshop.
DCS has participated in PCI and its various committees for years. Cathy Higgins, DCS’ Vice President of Sales & Marketing, has been a very active participant in the PCI Architectural Committee as well as the Plant Certification Committee. She's helped with the writing of the last two editions of PCI’s architectural industry bible, MNL-122, the “Blue Book.”
Recently, PCI has undertaken the development of a new Architectural Certification Program. The changes, set to go into effect October 1, 2021, are the most significant changes to the certification program in the past 20 years. The group and its members have worked to address architects’ concerns about the state of architectural precast.
"The group has considered many points of view in the program's redevelopment,” said Jimmy Crawford, DCS' Vice President of Development. "We think this is going to be a great thing for the industry and have been happy to participate in the effort to make it happen. Both Cathy [Higgins] and I have rolled up our sleeves and gotten involved in that effort. I am also a voting member of the PCI Quality Enhancement Committee.”
PCI’s new certification program provides a basis for specifying the most appropriate PCI architectural certification categories for the production and field erection of various types of architectural precast concrete components. The five new certification categories do not apply to structural components without architectural features.
The revised certification program creates four new certification categories in lieu of the previous single A1 category. It also eliminates the previous CA and BA categories that were used for structural and bridge elements with architectural features. The new certification will break producers down into one of four categories: AA, AB, AC, and AD. These changes will ensure that the producer’s capabilities correspond to the needs of the project.
For specifics of each level of architectural certification as well as other useful information about the program, click here.