As the demand for environmentally friendly design and building practices continues to grow, Lafarge North America’s NewCem slag cement is making a strong contribution to the sustainable construction of new commercial and institutional buildings throughout Philadelphia.
Overlooking the Schuylkill River, the 49-story FMC Tower at Circa Centre South will be the sixth-tallest building in Philadelphia and serve as the new global headquarters of specialty chemical company FMC Corp. Designed to achieve LEED Silver certification when completed in mid-2016, the skyscraper will encompass 861,000 sq. ft. The building’s innovative design boasts a wide variety of high-performance features, including the structural concrete containing NewCem slag cement for the foundation, elevator core and slabs for the office tower portion of the project, as well as a 22-story cast-in-place concrete apartment building on top of the office tower.
NewCem slag cement is also being used in the construction of the 1,121-ft., 59-story Comcast Innovation and Technology Center. It was recently used in 2,000 cu. yd. of the high-performance concrete in the 10-ft.-thick foundation mat. Expected to be the tallest building in the country outside of New York or Chicago when it opens in the fall of 2017, the LEED Platinum-designed skyscraper will significantly contribute to the continuing renaissance of Center City Philadelphia as a forward-looking yet uniquely livable urban environment.
Engineered for long-term durability, NewCem slag cement is widely specified to help achieve greater strength potential, reduced permeability and increased resistance to chemical attack in concrete, noted the company. It is also a strong contributor to sustainable design, as the use of slag cement in concrete saves virgin raw materials, consumes less energy and makes use of an industrial by-product material that might otherwise be disposed of in landfills. The result is high-performance concrete with an extended service life, lower life cycle costs and less environmental impact.
