Holcim US has earned recognition as a winner in the recent Slag Cement Association awards, which celebrate innovations and projects utilising slag cement from 2023.

Holcim US secured victory in the Innovation Applications category for its project at Duck Lake Country Club in Michigan.

This project revitalized the club's deteriorated asphalt parking lot by overlaying it with concrete. By substituting 25% of the Portland Limestone Cement with slag, the mix effectively reduced the embodied carbon of the project.

“What makes this project particularly innovative is the way we used slag cement to mitigate potential concerns with material degradation while increasing long-term strength and durability,” Holcim US senior vice president for sales Patrick Cleary said. 

“This award exemplifies what we do best in providing our customers with sustainable, long-lasting and economical solutions.”

The Slag Cement Association has been honouring exceptional uses of slag cement in sustainable concrete construction since 2010, with Holcim US previously earning recognition in categories such as Architectural, Lower-Carbon Concrete, Durability, High Performance, and Infrastructure.

In the 2023 awards, eleven construction projects from various parts of the United States were selected to highlight the versatile applications of slag cement and its role in fostering more resilient and eco-friendly concrete.

Categories ranged from infrastructure and high performance to architecture, durability, innovative applications, and lower carbon concrete.

The 2023 Slag Cement in Sustainable Concrete Construction Award Winners:

Infrastructure

Race Street Bridge, in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania

Wixom Assembly Park, in Wixom, Michigan

High Performance

333 North Water, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Excellerate Manufacturing, in Appleton, Wisconsin

Architectural

University of Wyoming Park Garage & Police Department, in Laramie, Wyoming

Whitman-Walker at St. Elizabeth’s Max Robinson Center, in Washington, DC

Durability

Hillman Garage, in Annapolis, Maryland

RIU Hotel Chicago, in Chicago, Illinois
 

Innovative Applications

Art House Condominiums 200 Central, in St Petersburg, Florida

Duck Lake Country Club, in Albion, Michigan

Lower Carbon Concrete

Manor West River, in Tampa, Florida

The 2023 Slag Cement in Sustainable Concrete Awards Research Award Winner:

Utilization of Supplementary Cementitious Materials for Cementing Enhanced

Geothermal Wells

Lyn Zemberekci, Cornell University

Project Description: This project aimed at understanding the behaviour of cement slurries that contained a high-volume replacement of Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs). Specifically, grade 100 Ground Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag (GGBFS), Fly Ash (FA), and Silica Flour.

The impact of using GGBFS, FA, and a blend of both was assessed in a series of tests on the rheological, mechanical, and microstructural behaviour at high-pressure high-temperature conditions.

The results demonstrated a superior performance by the SCM-containing slurries compared to the control counterparts.

The pumpable high-strength slurries had a densified microstructure and formed calcium aluminate silicate hydrate products (C-A-S-H). Comprehensive findings of these tests are in preparation for journal publication.

More information on the winning construction and research projects can be found at www.slagcement.org/awards.