Months ago we heard news of the “nation’s first carbon-positive hotel”—a 13-floor, 130-000-sf cement tower with a triangular layout and eye-shaped windows. Populus, designed by Studio Gang and developed by Urban Villages, broke ground in Denver, Colo., last year with plans to be operational by summer 2024. What makes Populus a carbon-positive project is a collection of variables, from minimizing waste to using fewer finish materials. But there’s one huge driver behind the green initiative: sustainable concrete.
ECOPact is an optimized, low-carbon concrete made from large amounts of supplementary cementitious materials (SCM). With lower embodied carbon content compared to conventional concrete, ECOPact aims to be an attractive alternative for sustainability-driven engineers.
Sustainable concrete: ECOPact
Designed by Holcim, a sustainable building materials supplier, ECOPact offers a low-carbon alternative that not only meets, but exceeds the properties of standard (CEM I) concrete. This allows the material to be used in all traditional applications: structural components like foundations, columns and beams; to walls, driveways, bridges, and more.
ECOPact Tiers
Rather than having a one-size-fits-all product, Holcim delivers ECOPact in a three-tiered system:
- ECOPact (30–50% reduction in carbon emissions)
- ECOPact Prime (50–70% reduction)
- ECOPACT Max (70–90% reduction)
Each tier can be enhanced with the addition of recycled concrete aggregates ECOPact+ range, according to the company. Kevin Peart, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Mountain Region, Holcim, believes that Holcim has become “one of the first movers in the concrete industry.”
For the Populus hotel, this sustainable concrete was integral to the design process. The project’s utilization of ECOPact accounts for 65% of the total cubic yards of concrete poured, with an anticipated reduction of 765 tons in the concrete's embodied carbon compared to traditional concrete.
A similar story is told at 55 H Street, a Georgetown University residence hall (above). The project team had a specific challenge: they needed a concrete blend capable of attaining a 28-day design strength of 5,000 psi, while also achieving a high-early strength of 3,000 psi within a span of two to three days. ECOPact delivered, and 55 H Street became “one of the most sustainable buildings in D.C.,” says Zachary Lovett, Project Pursuit Manager, Holcim.
As the built environment continues to find ways to reduce its impact on the planet, innovative materials like ECOPact may help drive the change that architects, engineers, and contractors desire.
Related Stories
Retail Centers | May 3, 2024
Outside Las Vegas, two unused office buildings will be turned into an open-air retail development
In Henderson, Nev., a city roughly 15 miles southeast of Las Vegas, 100,000 sf of unused office space will be turned into an open-air retail development called The Cliff. The $30 million adaptive reuse development will convert the site’s two office buildings into a destination for retail stores, chef-driven restaurants, and community entertainment.
Codes and Standards | May 3, 2024
New York City considering bill to prevent building collapses
The New York City Council is considering a proposed law with the goal of preventing building collapses. The Billingsley Structural Integrity Act is a response to the collapse of 1915 Billingsley Terrace in the Bronx last December.
K-12 Schools | Apr 30, 2024
Fully electric Oregon elementary school aims for resilience with microgrid design
The River Grove Elementary School in Oregon was designed for net-zero carbon and resiliency to seismic events, storms, and wildfire. The roughly 82,000-sf school in a Portland suburb will feature a microgrid—a small-scale power grid that operates independently from the area’s electric grid.
AEC Tech | Apr 30, 2024
Lack of organizational readiness is biggest hurdle to artificial intelligence adoption
Managers of companies in the industrial sector, including construction, have bought the hype of artificial intelligence (AI) as a transformative technology, but their organizations are not ready to realize its promise, according to research from IFS, a global cloud enterprise software company. An IFS survey of 1,700 senior decision-makers found that 84% of executives anticipate massive organizational benefits from AI.
Codes and Standards | Apr 30, 2024
Updated document details methods of testing fenestration for exterior walls
The Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA) updated a document serving a recommended practice for determining test methodology for laboratory and field testing of exterior wall systems. The document pertains to products covered by an AAMA standard such as curtain walls, storefronts, window walls, and sloped glazing. AAMA 501-24, Methods of Test for Exterior Walls was last updated in 2015.
MFPRO+ News | Apr 29, 2024
World’s largest 3D printer could create entire neighborhoods
The University of Maine recently unveiled the world’s largest 3D printer said to be able to create entire neighborhoods. The machine is four times larger than a preceding model that was first tested in 2019. The older model was used to create a 600 sf single-family home made of recyclable wood fiber and bio-resin materials.
AEC Innovators | Apr 26, 2024
National Institute of Building Sciences announces Building Innovation 2024 schedule
The National Institute of Building Sciences is hosting its annual Building Innovation conference, May 22-24 at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C. BI2024 brings together everyone who impacts the built environment: government agencies, contractors, the private sector, architects, scientists, and more.
Mass Timber | Apr 25, 2024
Bjarke Ingels Group designs a mass timber cube structure for the University of Kansas
Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and executive architect BNIM have unveiled their design for a new mass timber cube structure called the Makers’ KUbe for the University of Kansas School of Architecture & Design. A six-story, 50,000-sf building for learning and collaboration, the light-filled KUbe will house studio and teaching space, 3D-printing and robotic labs, and a ground-level cafe, all organized around a central core.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Apr 25, 2024
How pools can positively affect communities
Clark Nexsen senior architects Jennifer Heintz and Dorothea Schulz discuss how pools can create jobs, break down barriers, and create opportunities within communities.
Senior Living Design | Apr 24, 2024
Nation's largest Passive House senior living facility completed in Portland, Ore.
Construction of Parkview, a high-rise expansion of a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) in Portland, Ore., completed recently. The senior living facility is touted as the largest Passive House structure on the West Coast, and the largest Passive House senior living building in the country.
