CEMEX honors green projects

April 26, 2007

Green building and design was the highlight at the Second Annual CEMEX U.S. Building Awards where 20 finalists from across the country were recognized. From houses built to reduce energy costs to a California museum designed as a work of art and to withstand earthquakes, the projects used concrete and recycled products to design cutting edge and environmentally friendly structures.

Green building and design was the highlight at the Second Annual CEMEX U.S. Building Awards where 20 finalists from across the country were recognized. From houses built to reduce energy costs to a California museum designed as a work of art and to withstand earthquakes, the projects used concrete and recycled products to design cutting edge and environmentally friendly structures.

"While CEMEX manufactures cement and concrete products, it is you that molds and shapes those products into projects that inspire, amaze and delight. This year's nominees represent visionary thinking, best-practice performance and respect for the environment," Gilberto Perez, president of CEMEX USA, told the finalists. "Thank you for working with us to build the future."

The ceremony recognized the best builders, designers and architects in the following categories: sustainability, housing, institutional/industrial and infrastructure. Award recipients were highlighted for their use of concrete, innovation, execution of the project, architectural design and attention for the environment. The awardees in each category will later compete against winners from approximately 30 countries for the world title at the 16th CEMEX International Awards in Mexico this November.

Because of its innovative design and benefits to the environment, the de Young Museum in San Francisco took top honors for the Sustainability and the Institutional/Industrial categories.

Sustainability and Institutional/Industrial Award
de Young Museum, San Francisco

Built to replace the original museum damaged in a 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the project is innovative in design elements, construction materials and techniques. One of the first green building projects in San Francisco utilizing high fly-ash mixes, the building used 15,000 cu yd of concrete. It features a nine-story vertical post-tension tower and state-of-the-art custom under-floor system featuring a system of plates with rubber liners that allows the building to move during seismic shifts. The project reduced the original building's footprint by 37% in order to return nearly two acres of open space to the surrounding park. Designers of the 293,000-sq-ft building still managed to double the amount of exhibition space. Skylights and floor-to-ceiling glass reduce power consumption and allow art to be viewed by natural light. Where needed, the museum uses energy-efficient fluorescent lighting. The building's flooring is Australian Eucalyptus, known for fast-growth and sustainability. The de Young Museum, designed to last for 150 years, has a metal skin of 50% copper in 7,000 embossed panels that over time will begin to develop a green patina and will blend with the environment truly becoming a green building.

The Corporation of Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco is the project developer. Architectural work was performed by Herzog & de Meuron of Basel, Switzerland, Fong & Chan. Swinerton Builders was the general contractor.

Housing Award
The Bellamy, Tampa, Fla.

The Bellamy, a state-of-the-art condominium, sits on fashionable Bayshore Boulevard in the heart of Tampa. It rises 21 stories, boasts a garden area and pool on the rear deck, and combines architecture, amenities and artistry to create a blend of space and intimacy for 61 homes. The oak trees were saved for an effective use of the existing environment. A two-story lobby greets residents from the parking area. The Bellamy theatre, library and conference center offer space for special events. The structure includes 580,000 sq ft of suspended slabs of concrete. Column mixes ranged from 4,000 to 6,000 psi. Local ordinances placed tight weight restrictions on Bayshore Boulevard. All truck traffic entered through secondary road access, which required extra routing efforts for on time arrival of multiple loads of concrete.

The project's developer was JMC Design & Development. Architectural work was done by Sydness Architects, and the concrete work was by Hickman Structures.

Infrastructure Award
Chaparral Water Treatment Plant, Scottsdale, Ariz.

The Chaparral Water Treatment Plant pumps and treats 30 million gallons of water per day from the Salt River flowing through Scottsdale. The plant filters and treats the city's water and uses granular activated carbon to remove taste and odor. The plant also disinfects the water using .8% sodium hypochlorite instead of gaseous chlorine, which eliminates the need to store the gas. The project used 25,000 cu yd of specialized concrete mixes with low water-to-cement ratios, air entrainment, superplasticizer and fly ash. More than 100,000 cu yd of concrete was used. The plant's architectural design creatively breaks up the scale of the big wall and features a contextual response to the Southwest desert region. The jury panel said it is not just a water treatment plant, but also a work of art.

The city of Scottsdale developed the project, Scot Thompson handled the architectural and engineering and Archer Western was the concrete contractor.

Sustainability Award finalists:

• El Monte Residence, Thousand Oaks, Calif.;
• Hubble Lighting, Greenville, S.C.;
• San Mateo Public Library, San Mateo, Calif.; and
• Adamic Residence, Alamo, Calif.

Residential Award finalists:

• El Monte Residence, Thousand Oaks, Calif.;
• Raisor Residence, Salem, S.C.;
• The Strand, Jacksonville, Fla.; and
• Vivante, Punta Gorda, Fla.

Infrastructure Award finalists:

• Atlanta Hartsfield Airport Runway Replacement, Atlanta;
• New Carquinez Bridge, Vallejo/Crockett, Calif.;
• Katy Freeway Expansion, Houston; and
• Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway, Tampa, Fla.

Institutional/Industrial Award finalists:

• Anderson Recreation Center, Anderson, S.C.;
• Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies, Orlando, Fla.;
• Tampa International Airport Remote Long-Term Parking Garage, Tampa, Fla.; and
• Stanford Cancer Center, Palo Alto, Calif.

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