Displaying items by tag: design

US: Construction and design products company Outdoor Living Supply has acquired Mid-Atlantic Concrete Products (MACP) and South-Atlantic Concrete Products (SACP). MarketLine News has reported that MACP president Ken Armistead will move to an ambassadorial role, while SACP president Rich Kearney will join Outdoor Living Supply in the newly-created position of vice president, commercial and wholesale.

SACP president Rich Kearney said "Outdoor Living Supply provides us with expanded resources and a powerful growth platform, helping us take our commercial sales, talented team, loyal customers and suppliers to new levels."

Outdoor Living Supply CEO Brian Price said "We are thrilled to have the teams at MACP and SACP join Outdoor Living Supply. These partnerships enhance our existing store network in North Carolina and Georgia and give us a significant foothold in the commercial hardscape market."

US: The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has launched the sixth annual Concrete in Life photography competition for 2024 – 2025. The launch coincides with The Climate Group’s New York Climate Week (NYCW) 2024. The GCCA will receive photo entries showing concrete’s sustainability, beauty and vitality, and a panel of judges will award a US$10,000 prize to the best. Past entries are currently on display in New York, US, at the One Vanderbilt building.

GCCA CEO Thomas Guillot said "The GCCA is leading pioneering work with our members to decarbonise our essential industry. Our Concrete in Life competition gives every community across the globe a chance to show just how essential concrete is to our lives and building a more sustainable world. It was important to give people attending NYCW a chance to see the role that concrete plays in supporting society and communities across the planet."

Judge and co-chair of design and architecture firm Gensler Diane Hoskins said "The places and spaces where we spend our time shape our experience of the world. Concrete is one of the most versatile and ubiquitous building materials, opening up an incredible opportunity for innovation and creativity. As architects and designers, we strive to achieve beauty, function and resilience in our work. This is the power and promise of the built environment and the materials that bring it to life."

Fellow judge Tina Paillet, president of the UK-based Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), said "As the globally renowned professional body for the built and natural environment, RICS members know just how important concrete is to modern infrastructure and to meeting the world’s net zero targets via the circular economy. I’m looking forward to judging this year’s Concrete in Life competition and getting the chance to see many awe-inspiring photographs from around the world."

UK: Ramboll has established its Sustainability Leadership Group to spearhead the decarbonisation strategy for UK construction. The team aims to be ‘powerhouse’ of cross-disciplinary expertise to support clients at every stage of their sustainability journey, through setting and achieving ambitious goals for their construction projects. Lora Brill will serve as the group’s Head of Sustainability for Buildings, while Austen Bates and Brogan MacDonald will serve as Sustainability Leads for Building Services and Building Structures, respectively, alongside Jac Yarwood as Head of Sustainable Solutions.

Lora Brill said, "I’m excited to put in place this exceptionally talented team that brings structural engineering, mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering and sustainability consultancy together to lead Ramboll’s incredible breadth and depth of technical expertise on sustainability in building design and engineering. The team will continue to drive more engagements in key industry initiatives like ConcreteZero and SteelZero, and lead our own such as CO2mpare, which transparently shares building projects carbon data. We are committed to being the Partner for Sustainable Change and this leadership team is just one more step in ensuring that we challenge current thinking and champion innovative approaches to sustainability."

ConcreteZero is an emissions measuring and reporting association for concrete jointly founded by Ramboll in mid-2022.

Spain: Switzerland-based Holcim has acquired a majority stake in precast concrete systems producer Arterpref. Holcim says that Artepref’s smart design systems combined with its own range of low-carbon and circular solutions will help Spain’s fast-growing construction sector to build better with less.

Holcim’s Europe regional head Miljan Gutovic said “Fully in line with our strategy, this expands our range of innovative and sustainable solutions in high-growth markets.”

Switzerland: Holcim has partnered with the Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich’s Block Research Group, incremental3D and Zaha Hadid Architects Computation and Design Group for the launch of Phoenix, a 3D-printed concrete bridge made using reduced-CO₂ circular technologies. The bridge employs Holcim’s ECOCycle recycled 3D-printing concrete and stands through compression, without reinforcement, reducing the volumes of materials used by 50% compared with conventional construction methods.

Holcim head of global research and development Edelio Bermejo said “I am thrilled to unveil Phoenix, a monument to sustainability and the result of a fruitful collaboration with our partners to meet a common goal: demonstrating that essential infrastructure can be designed and built in a way that is circular and low-carbon today. This project showcases the impact that innovation can have in Holcim’s mission to decarbonise building for a net-zero future.”

Spain: Topcret has added to two new products to its decorative microcement coatings range. BabaxEco and EcoCemento both comprise cement, fine sand, polymers and pigments. Topcret was the first microcement coatings producer to obtain environmental product declarations (EPDs) for its products.