NRMCA, Build With Strength Host Texas Low Carbon Concrete Roundtable

On October 28, Build With Strength Director, Building Innovations, Justin McCain hosted the Texas Low Carbon Concrete Roundtable in Houston, aiming to educate stakeholders on sustainable concrete successes throughout Texas and to encourage them to build with concrete to maximize longterm value and resilience. NRMCA partnered with several members and industry experts to deliver the event to a group of approximately 50 attendees (seen here) who included ready mix producers, material manufacturers, architects, engineers, owners, general contractors and consultants. Notable attendee companies included Ash Grove Cement, Bechtel, the Cement Council of Texas, Chryso, Fluor, Kirksey Architecture, Koy Concrete, Matagorda Concrete, Page and Texas Lehigh Cement.

The presentations were as follows: 

• From the Ground UP; Building Resilient and Sustainable Buildings Using Low Carbon Concrete – James Mack, Cemex
• An Introduction to Slag Cement in Texas – Steve Kaiser, Heidelberg Materials
• Renewables and Carbon Sequestration – Geoff Garber, Brayn Consulting
• Low Carbon Concrete Building Case Studies – Dirk Kestner, Walter P Moore and Mike Schneider, Baker Concrete
• Delivering Resilience and Value through Insulated Concrete Forms – Cameron Ware, Nudura
• Addressing Concrete Sustainability through Codes & Standards – Tiffany Reed-Villareal, NRMCA

The event concluded with a panel discussion from the expert lineup of speakers and an audience Q&A. The importance of evaluating materials based on a Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment and not solely making decisions based on the insufficient data contained in Environmental Product Declarations was emphasized by the group, McCain said. After the event, there were many conversations about the importance of involving ready mixed producers early on in the design process to achieve project sustainability goals in available markets.

The event also addressed the available services offered by the BWS team to the design-build community, including specification reviews, life cycle assessments and concrete design assistance. The forum enabled attendees the opportunity to engage with a multifaceted group of decision makers and highlight the work that the ready mixed concrete industry has done and continues to do to achieve sustainability initiatives while steadily improving the built environment.

For more information, contact Justin McCain at jmccain@nrmca.org.