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March 01, 2005

Smith-Midland Receives Prestigious Award for SlenderWall Project

MIDLAND, Va. – Smith-Midland Corporation’s Marriott ExecuStay Project, in New York City, was the 2004 National Precast Concrete Association’s Creative Use of Precast award winner.

The CUP Awards program is an annual competition for NPCA Members, recognizing projects promoting innovative and cost-saving advantages of precast concrete over competing materials. This year’s winners were announced at the Salute to Excellence Awards Dinner during the Manufactured Concrete Products Expo, MCPX, and Annual Convention on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2005 in Indianapolis, IN. Smith-Midland Corp. was the 2004 recipient in the building projects category for it’s innovative use of SlenderWall.

Architect H. Thomas O’Hara created a strong, functional and cost-effective high rise in the heart of New York City using the SlenderWall Architectural Precast Concrete Panel System, reducing the owner’s foundation and structural costs, and building operation costs.

SlenderWall was largely chosen for this project because of the ability to obtain a low maintenance precast panel that weighs substantially less than traditional precast or brick. The light weight panels allowed two sides of the building to cantilever out over lower buildings without column supports for the floor slabs. This creates additional floor space and on this particular project, the owner gained enough floor space to equal that of an additional apartment.

Due to SlenderWall’s exclusive lift-and-Release panel landing system, installation time and costs such as larger installation cranes, can be reduced by 50%, compared to traditional construction. For this particular project, the construction schedule was accelerated by two months. SlenderWall also reduces heating and cooling costs for the completed structure because of the system’s low thermal transfer rate.

The precast concrete architectural panels feature 2” of precast concrete secured to a heavy gauge galvanized steel frame by epoxy-coated stainless steel Nelson anchors. The integrated steel wall studs allow for maximum usable space within the building. SlenderWall is the only panel system that offers the latest DURAFLEX 360º technology. This technology allows isolation, of the building frame, from the exterior precast concrete skin and the structural stresses associated with wind loading, structural steel movement, expansion & contraction, and seismic shock. DURAFLEX 360º is the only 2” wall connection that meets AAMA 501.4-2000, the Interstory Differential Movement vertical and horizontal displacement test.

Smith-Midland Corporation is a publicly traded company (OTC BB: SMID, SMIWC; Boston Stock Exchange: SMM, SMM/W). Smith-Midland develops, manufactures and sells a broad array of precast concrete products for use primarily in the construction, transportation and utilities industries. Smith-Midland has two manufacturing facilities located in Midland, Virginia and Reidsville, North Carolina. Easi-Set Industries, a wholly owned subsidiary of Smith-Midland Corporation, licenses the production of Smith-Midland developed products around the world. For more information please call (540) 439-3266 or visit www.SmithMidland.com.

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Marti Cameron
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