Sources: European Commission, Brussels; CP staff
Citing “evidence not sufficiently conclusive,” the European Commission has closed a four-and-a-half-year investigation of integrated cement and concrete producers serving Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Spain and United Kingdom.
Read MoreSources: CRH Plc, Dublin; CP staff
CRH has closed on a portfolio of Lafarge S.A. and Holcim Ltd. cement, concrete and aggregate production assets in 10 countries across the Americas and Europe. At a $7.2 billion enterprise value, the transaction is among the largest to date involving publicly traded, global heavy building materials companies—trailing Cemex-Rinker and HeidelbergCement-Hanson ($15 billion–$16 billion; 2007) and Lafarge-Orascom ($12 billion, 2008).
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Sources: Tilt-Up Concrete Association, Mt. Vernon, Iowa; CP staff
New York-based Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects (TWBTA) has joined a design and construction team providing pro bono services for a Highlands, N.J., concrete structure overlooking Sandy Hook, an area hit hard in October 2012 by Hurricane Sandy. Tilt-Up Concrete Association member Alston Construction Co. is leading the project toward an early-October dedication.
Read MoreSources: Athena Sustainable Materials Institute, Ottawa; CP staff
To continue it support of whole-building life cycle assessment (LCA), the Athena Institute has released Impact Estimator for Buildings Version 5.1. The free software assists design teams across North America in gauging the environmental footprint of different material choices and core-and-shell system options.
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