Environmental Design + Construction - September 2008 - (Page S4)

CONCRETE GROWING BENEFITS WHILE SHRINKING FOOTPRINTS CEMENT INDUSTRY SETS SIGHTS ON ALTERNATIVE FUELS AND MATERIALS. BY JENNI PROKOPY “Avoid disposal of material that would otherwise end up in a landfill.” That’s a primary goal in using alternative fuels and materials for the manufacture of cement, and according to Andy O’Hare, vice president of regulatory affairs for the Portland Cement Association (PCA), the cement industry is making huge strides toward maximizing this practice. Assuming a plant is sourcing the materials close by, says O’Hare, there are significant environmental and cost benefits to using alternative materials (as opposed to mining virgin fuels or raw materials). Cement manufacturers also save money by purchasing alternative fuel sources; for example, many cement plants that burn scrap tires as fuel (45 plants in the U.S. are permitted to do so) receive those tires free of cost or for only a small transportation fee. And, says O’Hare, “in many cases, these alternative fuels are less carbonintense, so you get a benefit that’s related to climate change.” Much of the alternative raw materials available to cement plants are recaptured industrial byproducts. The list includes mill scale, blast furnace slag, bottom ash, foundry sand, petroleum-contaminated soil, refractory brick and water treatment sludge. The alternative fuels list also includes castoffs, like scrap tires, plastics, municipal refuse, oils or solvents, rice hulls, spent toner, spent activated carbon and coal tar sludge. Cemex’s plant in Davenport, Calif., took home multiple honors in the 2008 Energy & Environment Awards sponsored by PCA and Cement Americas magazine. The plant has, among other things, received the 2007 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ENERGY STAR award. Image courtesy of CEMEX. CEMEX USA HEADQUARTERS PUTS PHILOSOPHY INTO ACTION IN WEST HOUSTON, CEMEX USA — THE NATION’S LARGEST CEMENT AND READY MIXED CONCRETE COMPANY — IS SEEKING LEED CERTIFICATION OF ITS NEW HEADQUARTERS. IN EARLY 2009, THE MULTINATIONAL BUSINESS WILL MOVE INTO CEMEX CENTER, A 325,000-SQUARE-FOOT OFFICE BUILDING OF WHICH THE COMPANY WILL LEASE APPROXIMATELY HALF THE SPACE. DEVELOPED BY METRONATIONAL AND DESIGNED BY MORRIS ARCHITECTS, THE BUILDING’S PRIMARY FOCUS IS ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY; MUCH OF THE CONCRETE WILL REFLECT SUNLIGHT DURING THE DAY AND RADIATE LESS STORED HEAT AT NIGHT, REDUCING THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT AND CUTTING COSTS ON AIR CONDITIONING. THE BUILDING EMPLOYS CONCRETE MIXES WITH CLASS C FLY ASH (AN INDUSTRIAL BYPRODUCT) AT A 25 PERCENT WWW.EDCMAG.COM REPLACEMENT RATE, HELPING MAKE THE CONCRETE STRONGER, DENSER, MORE DURABLE AND MORE WORKABLE. MOST OF THE MATERIALS USED IN THE CREATION OF APPROXIMATELY 32,000 CUBIC YARDS OF CONCRETE (FOR THE BUILDING AND ACCOMPANYING PARKING GARAGE) ARE MANUFACTURED WITHIN A 500-MILE RADIUS OF THE SITE. “LOCATING OUR U.S. HEADQUARTERS IN AN OFFICE BUILT UPON SUSTAINABLE ECOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL PRINCIPLES STRENGTHENS OUR COMPANY AND PRESERVES THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR PRESENT AND FUTURE GENERATIONS,” SAYS GILBERTO PEREZ, PRESIDENT OF CEMEX USA. Image courtesy of CEMEX USA. s4 http://www.edcmag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Environmental Design + Construction - September 2008

Environmental Design + Construction - September 2008 Contents Web TOC Editor's Note Newsline New and Notable Announcing the 2008 Excellence in Design Awards Award Winner: Yale Sculpture Building Snapshots: College and Universities Teach Sustainability Color ISH North America Green Continuing Education Special Section: Concrete Product Focus Marketplace and Classifieds Advertiser's Index Underwater Adventures

Environmental Design + Construction - September 2008

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