Auscrete Corporation was formed as an enterprise to take advantage of technologies
developed for the construction of affordable, thermally efficient and structurally
superior housing. This "GREEN" product is the culmination of design
and development since the early 1980s and is the result of the amalgamation
of various material development stages, taking an idea to a product and further
developing that product to address an ongoing problem in the worlds largest
marketplace, the quest for affordable, efficient and enduring housing. Auscretes
structures are monetarily highly competitive. A turnkey house, ready to move
in sells for around $95-100 per square foot. That is very competitive in todays
market but is brought about by Auscretes ability to manufacture large panels
in mass production format. The house is constructed on site to produce an attractive
site built home, a home that will stay where it is put through all kinds of
adverse weather and age conditions. It will not burn, is not affected by termites
or rot, it saves extensively on energy costs, has extreme longevity and has
very low maintenance needs.
Auscretes CEO and founder, John Sprovieri, possessed certain proprietary technology
in cellular lightweight concrete manufacturing that has been assigned to the
corporation. He has applied his engineering and marketing expertise to develop
and promote products under the product name, Auscrete Cellular Concrete ("ACC").
ACC is the culmination of the refinements made to a technology developed in
Australia in the mid 1980s. The Australian product has been used in many parts
of the world in construction, and Mr. Sprovieri has further developed it in
the US by creating a thermally efficient building system. The process enables
infusion of millions of tiny air bubbles into a special inert concrete mix enabling
the creation of a lightweight product without sacrificing strength or structural
integrity. Since commencing re-development of the basic technology almost ten
years ago, Mr. Sprovieri has refined and modified the basic ACC hybrid formula
utilizing various bubble aggregate producing machines to manufacture the product
currently usable in Auscretes building construction.
A number of specialized machines have been fabricated for the manufacturing
of ACC including machinery that can produce various sized bubbles, product specific
hydraulically operated casting beds, concrete batching plant, materials handling
equipment, specialized finishing machines and a "Hot Box" materials
thermal testing cabinet that gives thermal "R" ratings of materials
to ASTM specifications. Additionally, many sample panels have been produced
for testing and for the construction of structures. At the outset and putting
the ACC technology to practical use, Auscrete Corporation has produced many
and varied housing and commercial buildings.
Auscrete Corporation intends to position itself as a major supplier in the
affordable housing market. Housing is generally considered "affordable"
when its cost does not exceed 30 percent of the median family income in a given
area. In many parts of the country, housing costs have shown signs of adversely
affecting workers, corporations and local economies. Yet still the availability
of affordable housing is becoming increasingly scarce. The company is offering
a product that not only make housing affordable, but also offers some luxuries
as well, such as optional heat pump air conditioning that would not be available
in other houses at such comparable pricing. By constructing with the Auscrete
aerated concrete building system, those luxuries will result in lower cost utilities
and a comfortable feel to the living environment, as can be achieved with
a product offering excellent thermal and soundproofing qualities as well as
superb fire resistance.
Developers and contractors will offer the homes as complete, turnkey ready constructed
site built dwellings. Even though they are technologically advanced, they are
just plain good value masonry homes built of a time proven product, concrete.
The company is establishing its expanded operations and manufacturing facility
in the Industrial Estate area of Rufus, Oregon. Rufus is a small city about
110 miles east of Portland. Construction of phase 1 of the plant should take
5-6 months. The advantage of Rufus is it is located on 2 main highways, I-84
east/west and I-97 north/south. The location will help considerably with the
delivery of the pre-cast panels initially to the Northwest area and will also
simplify the delivery of raw materials to the facility. It is anticipated that
in the initial year of operation the company will be able to produce enough
panel sets for the construction of over 50 homes.
Auscrete can economically deliver whole house panel sets as far away as Arizona
or Alberta, Canada. However, with a planned future facility to be set up in
San Antonio, Texas, further efficiencies will be achieved by servicing a fast
emerging market in this above average (for affordable housing) growth area.
Additionally, a plant in Southern California could quite easily address the
Arizona market as well, once the market recovery in that area has taken effect.
The company plans on selling most of its output to developers, contractors and
builders who will purchase the complete set of wall, roof and interior panels
from Auscrete and use their own construction crews to complete the house.