About
RESULTS IN ACTION
Our experience and rich history is unlike anyone else's in the industry.
Buildex® makes tomorrow better by making todays’ buildings, roads, and structures stronger and more sustainable.
Our Haydite® lightweight aggregate is prepared by expanding select shale in a rotary kiln at temperatures that exceed 2,200°F. The end result is a uniform and high-quality lightweight ceramic aggregate that can be used in many applications:
- Asphalt preservation treatment
- Lightweight concrete masonry block
- Lightweight floor in high-rise buildings
- Concrete bridge decks
- Ball field and residential yard soil conditioner
- Lightweight geotechnical applications
An environmentally friendly product that can be recycled and reused in other applications, Buildex Haydite® helps save labor and transportation costs. Also, it has several unique characteristics that contribute to Sustainable Development and LEEDTM Green Building certification credits.
Buildex was founded in Ottawa Kansas 1950. Today, we ship more than 225,000 cubic yards of our lightweight aggregates throughout the United States every year. Because lightweight aggregate is the only product we manufacture, we can concentrate on quality, consistency, and service to our numerous customers.
Buildex is a proud member of the Expanded Shale, Clay, & Slate Institute (ESCSI). Please give us a call or send us an email.
HISTORY OF STRUCTURAL LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE
The history of lightweight concrete can be traced back to the ancient Romans. The first known use was more than 2000 years ago when several lightweight concrete structures were built in the Mediterranean region, but the three most notable structures were built during the early Roman Empire and include the Port of Cosa, the Pantheon Dome, and the Coliseum. Many of these structures are still standing to this day.
Modern day lightweight concrete was first developed in 1908 and patented by Stephen J. Hayde in 1918 as Haydite®. It is manufactured by the rotary kiln process that creates a uniform and high-quality lightweight ceramic aggregate that can be used in many applications. – such as lightweight concrete masonry units, high-rise buildings, concrete bridge decks, high performance marine platforms, asphalt bituminous surface treatments, lightweight asphalt chip seal, soil conditioner, and lightweight geotechnical fills. But it’s most notable use is in the construction of high-rise buildings.
The first major building project employing structural lightweight concrete in the United States was the Southwestern Bell Telephone Company office in Kansas City. Completed in 1929, the building was originally built as a 14-story structure. But by using structural lightweight concrete, the company found that the foundations and underpinning could support an additional 14 floors – bringing the total to 28 floors.
During manufacturing, lightweight concrete is heated to more than 2000°F. This produces inherent thermal stability, lower thermal conductivity, and a lower coefficient of thermal expansion (ACI 216 Standard Method for Determining Fire Resistance of Concrete and Masonry Construction Assemblies). This makes it more fire resistant than ordinary normal weight concrete.