flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Making concrete greener

Codes and Standards

Making concrete greener

The high energy-consuming material can be made more sustainably.


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor | October 12, 2016

Pixabay Public Domain

Concrete is a time-tested construction standby, but the production of the key ingredient, cement, creates a massive amount of CO2 emissions.

Cement manufacturers in recent years have begun to offset cement's high electric and coal-fired consumption with other, bio-based sources. Plants are using from 5% to 20% alternative fuels, for example.

Some cement makers are innovating production to make it more sustainable. For instance, Calera has developed a process to collect 50% of the CO2 emissions from the cement-production process and use it to produce a new type of cement.

Some manufacturers have replaced some of the limestone in the cement mix with supplementary cementitious materials such as fly ash produced from burning coal and unheated limestone. Reducing the amount of heated limestone in the cement reduces the amount of energy needed in production.

Related Stories

| Aug 16, 2013

Dept. of Homeland Security offers tool to analyze building risk and resilience

The Integrated Rapid Visual Screening tool is designed to determine initial or relative risk and resilience for buildings based on visual inspection only.

| Aug 8, 2013

AAMA releases specification for non-residential fenestration BIM

The American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) released AAMA 912-13, Voluntary Specification for Non-Residential Fenestration Building Information Modeling (BIM).

| Aug 8, 2013

New green property index could boost REIT investment in more sustainable properties

A project by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT), the FTSE Group, and the U.S. Green Building Council to jointly develop a Green Property Index could help REITs attract some of the growing pool of socially responsible investment money slated for green investments.

| Aug 8, 2013

Boston reaching for solutions to threat of rising sea levels on waterfront development

While Boston officials consider whether to enact new building codes to resist flooding stemming from climate change-induced rising sea levels, developers are already boosting resiliency on new projects.

| Aug 8, 2013

EPA’s National Stormwater Calculator aids developers

The Environmental Protection Agency has released an application called the National Stormwater Calculator that uses soil conditions and rainfall records to estimate annual rainfall and runoff for any location in the U.S.

| Aug 8, 2013

Bipartisan bill would strengthen model building codes to boost energy efficiency

The Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act, a bipartisan U.S. Senate bill, would strengthen model building codes to make new homes and commercial buildings more energy efficient.

| Aug 2, 2013

Design of world’s tallest wood skyscraper would be more sustainable than steel alternative

Architecture firm C. F. Møller has proposed building the tallest wooden building in the world in Stockholm, Sweden. 

| Aug 2, 2013

Texas law expected to help reduce construction payroll fraud

Texas lawmakers want to get tough on construction companies that commit a certain form of payroll fraud, passing a new law recently signed by Gov. Rick Perry.

| Aug 2, 2013

Surveys show parking space requirements far in excess of what is necessary

Officials in the Northwest’s large metropolitan areas have sent survey takers out at night through apartment and condominium lots and garages, recording empty and full spaces, and comparing their tallies with the number of apartments.

| Aug 2, 2013

Netherlands Institute of Ecology built to zero waste principles

The Netherlands Institute of Ecology was designed and built to be the most sustainable building in Holland and incorporate the zero waste principles of Cradle-to-Cradle design.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Sustainability

Grimshaw launches free online tool to help accelerate decarbonization of buildings

Minoro, an online platform to help accelerate the decarbonization of buildings, was recently launched by architecture firm Grimshaw, in collaboration with more than 20 supporting organizations including World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), RIBA, Architecture 2030, the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) and several national Green Building Councils from across the globe.




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021