When most Americans imagine a home, they picture a wood-framed house. But in an era of high housing costs and extreme weather events, precast concrete offers a mix of durability and efficiency.

Concrete masonry units (CMU) meet that challenge with a rare combination of durability and environmental intelligence. It’s a material built for Chicago’s climate with the same endurance and ...

It is widely known that wood offers higher levels of thermal resistivity versus other framing materials. In fact, wood naturally has nearly four times the thermal resistance of steel or masonry. The ...