Ai-Structural was awarded a business investment grant from the Economic Development Office of Orange County, NC. The grant was used to develop and test prototypes of the company’s products. As part of the demonstration project, masons constructed structural reinforcement of two CMU walls. One wall was built using conventional reinforcement materials and methods. In contrast, the second wall was constructed using Ai-Structural’s products and methods.

The construction was documented on video clips provided in this section. The project demonstrated that the Ai-SP method:

• Provided continuous structural reinforcement (from the footing through the CMU walls and through the double top plates). The cables will be connected to the roof trusses in a later phase tying the roof to the footing).
• Made a safer working environment for the masons and other workers (by avoiding contact with exposed vertical rebar).
• Reduced worker fatigue (eliminated the need for masons to lift heavy CMUs at considerable heights over the rebar).