Occupying the site of a hotel that hosted guests from Pope John Paul II and Ronald Reagan to John F. Kennedy and U.S. Chief Justice Earl Warren, the Wilshire Grand Center is rising on sound footing thanks to a Guinness Book of World Records-grade concrete placement.
Sources: Headwaters Inc., South Jordan, Utah; CalPortland Co., Glendora, Calif.; CP staff
Catalina Pacific Concrete delivered 2,120 loads of ready mixed over a 19-hour window, February 15-16, to the Wilshire Grand site in downtown Los Angeles. Executed without a single injury, the operation marked what project officials note is a new volume threshold, 21,200 yd., for a continuous foundation pour.
Read MoreSources: Cement Association of Canada (CAC), Ottawa; CP staff
Two years after its launch across Canada, an industry-branded portland cement with up to 15 percent ground limestone content—promoted for reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 10 percent against conventionally milled powder—has gained significant traction among concrete producers and their customers.
Read MoreSources: National Ready Mixed Concrete Association; CP staff
In a move that will provide the opportunity for the cement and concrete industries to reduce products’ carbon footprint, a proposal was approved to permit up to 15 percent ground limestone in blended cements under ASTM C595 (Blended Hydraulic Cements), with the resulting product characterized as limestone blended cements. Similar revisions are being made to the equivalent AASHTO standard by the AASHTO Subcommittee on Materials. Under C595, there was previously no specifically stated limit on ground limestone content.
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