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J U N E 2 0 2 2 | 11 Precast Concrete P H OTO G R A P H Y CO U RT E S Y L A FA RG E C A N A DA with intermediate targets for 2030. "The targets are validated by SBTI, the Science Based Targets Institute, making them science-based," explains Klippenstein. This commitment builds on Holcim's leadership in green construction with cutting-edge solutions such as ECOPact, its green concrete, and Susteno, its leading circular cement. As for OneCem – also known as General Use Limestone, or Portland limestone cement – it pro- vides another opportunity for Lafarge to reduce CO2 emissions in their precast concrete products. "We're trialing OneCem in our products right now," says Klippenstein. "We can decrease CO2 emissions by 10 percent, while still producing concrete with the same level of strength and durability as the concrete produced with regular Portland cement." In a similar vein, Lehigh Hanson has transitioned two cement plants in Canada (Delta, B.C. and Picton Ontario) to producing EcoCemPLC, away from general use cement. EcoCemPLC is a general use limestone (GUL) cement that uses ordinary Portland clinker ground with additional limestone that falls under the CSA standard for a GUL cement or ASTM C595 cement. The cement was developed to lower the carbon footprint of concrete by as much as 10 percent without compromising on performance. The third Lehigh cement plant in Edmonton produces a gen- eral use limestone cement blended with fly ash called EcoCemPLUS as a CSA GULb cement and reduces the carbon footprint by more than 20 percent. The recently completed 26-storey high-rise at 601 West Hasting in Vancouver used EcoCemPLC in the 13, 450-cubic-metres of concrete. The project took a couple of sustainable construction actions with EcoCemPLC and worked on optimized mixtures for the various building elements that could use later maturity concrete or higher fly ash, such as was done for the footing and raft slabs thus reduc- ing the embodied carbon of the structure. Lehigh Hanson is continuing to build on its portfolio of sustainable products with the close collaboration of its customers. Depending on one's view, manpower issues in 2022 are either a curse or blessing. Casey Klaassen, president at Mardina Precast Ltd., reports that he is busy building warehouses, mini-storage units, and other commercial developments. "Business is humming, we're booked all the way until next March, and the market has become so brisk that we can't get enough people to make our panels," he says. Klaassen explains, "Right now we're expand- ing our plant and have a staff of 18, and I could easily hire another 12 people full time." He adds that his company's expansion is strictly focused on precast, not cast-in-place (which he employs for higher end projects). "It's the direction we're headed." Klaassen's comment is significant given that up until recently, Mardina was widely known as a cast-in-place spe- cialist; in fact, in 1993 the company earned its reputation by becoming the cast-in-place forming con- tractor for the Justice Institute of British Columbia. StormTrap stormwater storage system, Fort Road Widening project, Edmonton, AB. Coreslab.indd 1 Coreslab.indd 1 2022-05-20 12:24 PM 2022-05-20 12:24 PM September 2022 ANNUAL INDUSTRY FEATURE: Building Envelope Book your ad space now: | Dan Chapman 604.473.0316

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