Sustainability | For Construction Pros

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Economists Predict Rocky Road to Recovery for Construction Industry

Dodge Data & Analytics forecasts that the U.S. infrastructure segment won't return to normal levels until 2023.

Consider workers' weights, weight of tools and materials taken up ladders.

March Ladder Safety Month Focuses on Securing The Leading Cause of Fatal Falls in Construction

Lack of training on proper use of ladders is the primary cause of more than 81% of fall injuries treated in US emergency departments, and the safety industry is working especially hard this month to get free training to those who work with ladders

While largely foreign to most contractors in the early stages of the pandemic, platforms such as Zoom soon enabled companies to maintain critical face-to-face interactions.

Will Construction’s High-Tech Embrace Continue Post-pandemic?

Construction has seen a surging acceptance of various forms of technology during the COVID-19 pandemic. But will it continue once the crisis is over?

Nexiite is a concrete-like material made without Portland cement or lime, but does include water, sand and a mix of materials.

Canadian Construction Tech Startup Nexii Opening Plant in Pennsylvania With 180 Jobs

Green construction tech company Nexii receives investor funding, names notables to board and plans to open Pennsylvania plant in spring 2021.

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The Impact of Admixtures on Sustainability

Two examples that illustrate how admixtures can be used to reduce the CO2 footprint of concrete.

Crews used Blue Planet's limestone-coated aggregate in a San Francisco Airport project, where testing showed it met necessary specifications.

Chevron Invests in Startup That Creates Concrete Aggregate from CO2

Chevron invested in San Jose-based Blue Planet Systems, a startup that manufactures and develops carbonate aggregates and carbon capture technology intended to reduce the carbon intensity of industrial operations.

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New York Governor Cuomo Announces $26 Billion Green Energy Initiative

The massive public-private partnership (P3) initiative includes wind and solar energy projects throughout the state.

Sinan Husic (left) and Robin Papp (right) study low-carbon footprint building materials at Carleton University in Canada.

Carleton Students Research Low-Carbon Concrete, Sustainable Building Materials

Carleton University students in Canada are continuing hand-on learning and researching building materials with a low carbon footprint.

Tata Steel has announced plans to produce a more environmentally-friendly rebar in India.

Tata Steel Leads Initiative to Produce 'Green' Rebar in India

Tata Steel has collaborated with CII Green Business Centre and relevant stakeholders in the India steel sector to develop GreenPro framework for steel rebars.

Charles Kibert, professor and director of the Powell Center for Construction and Environment at the University of Florida, was elected chair of the board of directors at The Green Building Initiative (GBI).

Green Building Initiative Announces Board of Directors Appointees

The Green Building Initiative (GBI) announced the election of Charles Kibert, professor and director of the Powell Center for Construction and Environment at the University of Florida, as chair of its board of directors.

Workers at a job site at the Thameslink in London.

Balfour Beatty Plans to Reduce Construction Site Carbon Emissions by 80%

Balfour Beatty, with Sunbelt and Invisible Systems, has developed technology to manage the power supply of construction sites and reduce carbon emissions on its sites by up to 80%.

Blue Planet’s limestone-coated light weight aggregate specified in Interim Boarding Area B at San Francisco International Airport was included in concrete poured in 2016 by Central Concrete. Testing showed that it met all necessary specifications.

Investment to Create Synthetic Limestone Aggregate

Using sequestered carbon dioxide, Blue Planet Systems Corp. is developing a construction-grade rock, and ultimately concrete, that would have net-zero or net-negative carbon footprint.

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Mission: Carbon Zero

The players driving sustainability and reducing carbon emissions within the cement and concrete industries.

Microsoft Digital Twin

Doosan Heavy in Tech Spotlight as Part of Microsoft Digital Twin Announcement

Microsoft highlighted Doosan's work in sustainability and technology in the tech giant's on digital twin software.

International Coalition for Sustainable Infrastructure Celebrates Growth in First Year

Leaders from across the country came together virtually to highlight the consensus that engineers are uniquely placed to shape our collective future of infrastructure adaptation and resilience.

Computer scientists at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) are developing software that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to help construction companies reduce the amount of embodied carbon in their building and infrastructure projects.

Construction Industry Could Hit Sustainability Target with AI, Researchers Suggest

Computer scientists at the University of the West of England are developing software that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to help construction reduce the amount of embodied carbon in their building and infrastructure.

CarbonCure is both a process and the name of a company, representing a new way of making concrete that injects CO2 into the concrete so that when it hardens, or cures, the injected CO2 is mineralized, incorporating it permanently back into limestone.

Setting C02 in Concrete Improves Its Strength

According to one company, CarbonCure, injecting C02 into concrete can increase the concrete's strength

A partnership between HeidelbergCement and other groups is harnessing solar power to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in Hong Kong.

HeidelbergCement Uses Solar to Offset CO2 in Hong Kong

HeidelbergCement is one partner in a group generating solar power to reduce CO2 emissions.

Researchers suggest the recycled concrete can be a 100% substitute for non-structural applications.

University Research Suggests Recycled Concrete as Good, or Better than Traditional

Results of a new five-year study of recycled concrete show that it performs as well, and in several cases even better, than conventional concrete. Researchers suggest the recycled concrete can be a 100% substitute for non-structural applications.

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HeidelbergCement $531 Million to Modernize Cement Sites in France

HeidelbergCement’s subsidiary Ciments Calcia presented the draft terms of its large-scale investment and reorganisation programme for several of its sites in France.

In this initiative, CEMEX is partnering with Membrane Technology & Research, Inc. (MTR) to conduct an 18-month study at CEMEX’s Balcones cement plant in New Braunfels, Texas, and explore the potential CO2 emission reduction from installing new membrane technology in the plant’s production process.

U.S. DOE Award Carbon Capture Technology Grant to CEMEX

CEMEX and Membrane Technology & Research, Inc. are working on a low-cost innovative CO2 capture technology to be implemented in CEMEX’s Texas cement plant.

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Asphalt Industry Evaluates Utilizing Plastic in its Mixtures

As activists and legislators continue to push for solutions to sustainably divert the plastic waste stream, the asphalt pavement industry is leading and coordinating the effort to evaluate the viability of including plastics in asphalt mixtures.

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Six Sustainable Building Materials to Look for in 2021

As contractors begin to plan future projects, be on the lookout for these seven sustainable building materials in 2021 and beyond

CEMEX and Carbon Upcycling anticipate initial results from this joint research and development effort by mid-2021.

CEMEX and Carbon Upcycling to Use Nanotechnology to Produce Low Emission Concrete

The technology developed seeks to increase industrial by-products availability with cementitious qualities, like fly ash and slag, to produce concretes with a low CO2 footprint.

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Use of Plastic Additives in Asphalt Mixtures Increasing

Dow has installed their recycled plastic-modified asphalt mixtures on several roads and parking lots in the country, proving these mixtures to be a viable option in sustainable pavement design and construction

As extreme weather events become stronger and more frequent, the method for building homes must change too. Building structures must remain intact to provide safety for inhabitants and return to normal life shortly afterwards. Concrete construction can provide this.

The Case for Concrete Homes

The challenge is to build homes that can remain intact in any severe weather event, be more energy efficient, be reasonably priced, and be reoccupied shortly after a disaster so that life can go on with minimal disruption.

From materials that generate their own energy to those that provide greater structural protection, the future of building is evolving.

18 New Building Materials That Could Revolutionize Construction

These new materials are starting to generate buzz in the construction industry and could very well change the future of building.

From creating and transporting concrete to eventually receiving leftover concrete, there are opportunities to help ready-mix producers improve efficiency and reduce material waste, thus reducing costs.

How to Reduce the Cost of Concrete Production

The National Ready Mix Concrete Association (NRMCA) estimates 3-5% of ready-mix concrete deliveries in the U.S. are rejected at the job site for various reasons, such as not meeting specifications. Another occurrence is a project simply has leftover ready

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Bamboo Helps Make Concrete Both Stronger & More Sustainable

Abundant, sustainable and extremely resilient, bamboo has potential to become an ideal steel replacement for concrete reinforcement.

Test projects in India and the United Kingdom of asphalt roads containing recycled plastic have demonstrated better wear resistance when compared to regular asphalt concrete pavement. A project in Texas was the first in the U.S. and Michigan projects were recently the first public asphalt roads.

Study: Plastic Use in Asphalt Pavements Showing Promising Results

Plastics Industry Association and NCAT study shows that asphalt formulations using recycled polyethylene (rPE) film recovered from retail locations could achieve many of the same benefits of traditional polymer-modified asphalt formulations.

More than 150 companies signed a statement asking governments to incorporate climate science into recovery efforts.

Husqvarna, LafargeHolcim Among Companies to Sign Net-Zero Recovery from COVID-19

More than 100 global companies have signed a statement asking governments to align recovery efforts with climate science.

CU Boulder researchers recently discovered a molecule that could improve the durability of concrete.

CU Research Could Lead to More Durable Concrete

CU Boulder researchers have discovered that a synthetic molecule based on natural antifreeze proteins minimizes freeze-thaw damage and increases the strength and durability of concrete.

Compass Datacenters announced its data centers will be built with concrete using CarbonCure technology.

CarbonCure Concrete to Be Used in Datacenters, Removes Carbon Dioxide

Compass Datacenters announced its data centers will be built with concrete using CarbonCure technology.