Sustainability | For Construction Pros

Adobe Stock 78882585

How Biden is Expected to Raise Taxes to Fight COVID-19 and Its Economic Battering

The 2017 tax act eroded US economic resources that are now necessary to rescue our economy from the impact of the pandemic's accompanying recession; here are some ways President Biden will propose to roll back some of its give-aways

Construction News Tracker: Biden Unveils $1.9B Coronavirus Relief Plan

Chao resignation clears top of US DOT for Pete Buttigieg, Biden picks Boston mayor and ex-construction-union leader Marty Walsh for Labor secretary, unemployment claims exceed 1M for the first time since July in first week of January

5 20predictions 20insert 2

Five Predictions for an Unpredictable 2021

No one predicted the onset of COVID-19 and the degree to which the pandemic would impact construction. But in many ways, it catapulted us forward. Here’s what we predict for 2021.

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.

Adobe Stock 269212483

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.

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

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.

Heidelberg France Modernization

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.

Adobe Stock 201250309 (1)

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.

Elifin Realty 4n Mj4 N6r K4 M Unsplash

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.

Dow 56472451757

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

538ded37c07a803df400017e zumtobel group award 2014 300dpi bamboo dl 0 5703d8b993a5f

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.

The three largest construction projects underway in the Twin Cities all have a recycling rate of more than 90%, one of which is the new Viking Stadium. Pictured here is part of that project, the demolition of the old Metrodome.

5 Techniques for Sustainable Building Construction

For contractors, a strategy for saving time and materials can lead to higher profitability and the good feeling of not creating unnecessary waste. Here’s a look at five techniques that are having the greatest impact on sustainable building construction.

Gcca

Cement/Concrete Association Sets New Sustainability Guidelines

The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has published new guidelines aimed at further improving the biodiversity performance of the industry’s quarries.

Wildlife Habitat Council recognized Buzzi Unicem for its environmental efforts.

Buzzi Unicem Awarded Gold Conservation Certification

Buzzi Unicem USA - Greencastle Plant has been recognized for its environmental and sustainability programs by the Wildlife Habitat Council.

Liebherr and Designwerk have developed an emissions-free mixer truck to transport concrete.

Liebherr, Designwerk to Unveil Electric Truck Mixer

Liebherr and Designwerk have developed an emissions-free, electric mixer truck for transporting concrete.

65rlcz6t 320

[VIDEO] Six Ways to Improve Asphalt Plant Sustainability

Here are the top six ways you can improve asphalt plant sustainability.

From new homes to major infrastructure projects, construction has a significant impact on our environment. GCP’s 2020 Vision for a Sustainable Future highlights three core sections.

GCP Applied Technologies Presents Sustainability Vision Statement

GCP Applied Technologies (NYSE:GCP), a leading global provider of construction products technologies, has presented its 2020 Vision for a Sustainable Future.

Screen Shot 2020 03 11 At 8 39 54 Pm

[VIDEO] PCA Shaped By Concrete Campaign Highlights Concrete's Resiliency

Michael Ireland from Portland Cement Association talks about the association's new campaign, Shaped By Concrete. The campaign aims to highlight concrete's sustainability and resiliency.