Two years after its launch in Canada, Contempra now accounts for nearly 50 percent of the domestic cement consumed in British Columbia, reports the Cement Association of Canada (CAC). The lower carbon cement results in 10 percent lower CO2 emissions and is rapidly becoming the preferred standard for the majority of new concrete construction projects in British Columbia.
“Contempra is a shining example of the cement industry’s continued commitment to innovation and to lowering our collective environmental footprint,” said Michael McSweeney, president and CEO of CAC. “We are delighted with the market’s enthusiastic response and with the tremendous strides both Lafarge and Lehigh Hanson have made in establishing this lower carbon cement as the cement of choice in British Columbia.”
Contempra further reduces the environmental footprint of concrete structures, which, according to life-cycle assessment studies conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of British Columbia, is already lower than that of those constructed with other building materials. This is due to concrete’s durability and the energy efficiency benefits of its thermal mass.
Among the many Contempra projects already completed or underway in BC are the Arthur Erickson Building, the Wall Center False Creek Development and ONNI’s Evelyn master-planned community, all in Vancouver, as well as a multitude of condominium, commercial and institutional projects throughout the province. Contempra is manufactured by Lafarge in its Richmond cement plant and by Lehigh Hanson in its Delta cement plant.
