The Federación Interamericana del Cemento FICEM-APCAC, invites you to the first Inter-American edition of “Masonry Concrete Award”on august 8th, during the International Concrete Masonry Seminar in Costa Rica. The goal is to recognize the professional capacity, the technical and creative efforts of the construction industry's professionals or companies in the region who have designed outstanding projects in each of FICEM-APCAC country members and in which masonry concrete use predominate.

The participant projects should stand out their quality, performance, economy, versatility, aesthetic, and architectural, as well as for the resources maximization, energy saving, and the environment protection and conservation, their positive impact on the economy and on the society.

PARTICIPANTS

Professionals and companies that have the correspondent license to practice the engineering and/or architecture professions, depending on the country they represent, and who also have designed or built projects using masonry concrete can participate in this contest.

PARTICIPANT PROJECTS SELECTION AND REGISTER

Each FICEM-APACAC institute or association member will be the one who represents its country. Each institute or association will have the responsibility of choosing the projects participating in the Contest, in representation of their Country. Only one Project in each category per country is allowed.

The requirements of the contest shall be submitted to the Cement and Concrete Costa Rican Institute(ICCYC), with domicile at, Ofiplaza del Este, Building C, 2^nd floor, office #7, in San Pedro de Montes de Oca, San José, Costa Rica. (The documents shall be submitted to the ICCYC in this case, being Costa Rica the host for the first edition of this awarding contest. This will vary for future editions, according to host country determined by FICEM-APCAC).

The reception period for the projects is extended until 30th June 2008.

Commercial buildings, houses, hotels, public and private institutions, health centers, etc., that have been constructed with concrete masonry elements are entitled to participate. This material (concrete) must represent at least 60% of the total of the materials used for walls. The participants must deliver the necessary supporting documents showing that the work complies with this percentage.

Constructions accepted are those which have been built from 2000 to the date. The participating works must be constructed and finished at 100% by the time of the awarding.

PROJECT FACTORS TO BE EVALUATED

With prize awarding purposes, it particularly will be considered the creativity in the material use, emphasizing mainly in: design, energy advantages, and efficient use of the materials.

It will be pondered the commitment degree assumed in the following concepts of the system use in the total of the work.

• Innovation, creativity, and originality in the masonry use.

The works shall highlight in these criteria, as much as in its architectonic as in its structural design.

• Contribution or impact

The works will be rated by their impact in the environmental improvement regarding the social, economical, ecological, urban, and physical matters, as well as by their contribution to the preservation of the environment or the rational use of the resources.

• Quality and Performance