Sources: Lafarge North America, Reston, Va.; Staff reports
During an October 4 open house that drew 500 students, architects and engineers to its Edmonton precast plant, Lafarge announced participation in a local Habitat for Humanity NetZero energy duplex project. The producer will continue to spotlight the project—the first of its kind in Canada—on October 6, opening its Calgary precast operation to an anticipated 700 community and construction industry guests. Both events are timed around the Canadian Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute-designated National Precast Day, now in its 13th year and observed in plants across the provinces the first week of October.
Scheduled to commence later this fall, the Habitat for Humanity Edmonton project is in partnership with Edmonton-based architect and consulting engineering giant Stantec. The duplex’s innovative design, coupled with sustainable materials, will help create what the sponsors see as the ultimate energy-efficient precast concrete home. “Lafarge is proud to support Habitat in this pilot that will show how precast concrete can be used to build highly energy efficient homes while helping members of our community,” says Lafarge’s Rene Thibault, Western Canada Aggregates & Concrete regional president. “National Precast Day is an opportunity to educate engineers, architects and students about sustainable construction and the ideal occasion to feature a NetZero energy home.”
“As a longtime supporter of Habitat, Stantec provided the architectural design and sustainability consulting for [an] innovative project that offers exemplary environmental performance,” adds Stantec Edmonton Region Vice President Keith Shillington. “This results in lower monthly utility costs that make this home attainable for more hard-working families in Edmonton, while the lessons learned here can be replicated worldwide.”
