CEMEX is a global building materials company. The company produces and sells cement, ready-mix concrete. At CEMEX, building materials are distributed in more than 50 countries worldwide [1].
It was founded innorthern Mexico in 1906 by opening the first cement plant whereby the world headquarters is also located in the city of San Pedro Garza Garcia. Within forty years, CEMEX could increase its production of cement to about 124,000 tons daily[2]. By 1989, CEMEX has become the top 10 cement producers in the world. Today, it is a global leader in the building materials industry.
1.2 Company Profile [1]
Operates in more than 50 countries in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia.
One of the world leading cement manufacture in the world.
Annual sales of US$14.98 billion (2012).
Figure 1: CEMEX Product Sales for 2012
1.3 Concrete , the second most consumed material in the world
Urban population is expected to be increased from 47% in 2000 to 70% in 2050 which will require more buildings in the future. CEMEX has introduced a sustainability model to minimize the impact on nature for cleaner world.
Figure 2: Sustainability Model Objectives of CEMEX
1.4 Areas of Priority[3]
Low income housing and infrastructure
Enhance Carbon strategy
Lead in sustainable construction
Excellence in environmental biodiversity management to reduce impact of operations.
High priority to health and safety.
Strengthen local communities by helping more than 300,000 families gain an access to building materials and improve their houses and helping them to rebuild after major disasters partnership with key stakeholders.
CEMEX is the first to measure the greenhouse gas emissions of it products.
Solutions to increase access to its produ...
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...t on environment. The following innovations are some of concrete products produced by CEMEX for more sustainable buildings.^([1])
Insulating concrete forms to keep the heat out in hot climates and to retain it in cold weather conditions. A study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) shows that using this type of concrete instead of code compliant wood-framed construction can produce operational energy savings of 20 %.^([1])
Self-compacting concrete whichimproves the strength, durability, and life of a structure and reduce the maintenance cost during the life of structure.
Pervious concrete which helps to prevent skidding on wet roads
Rapid-setting concrete which contains up to 80% fly ash and produces carbon.
Antibacterial concretewhich controls bacteria growth and helps maintain clean environments in structures such as hospitals and laboratories.
LEED, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, is a certification program for green buildings with stringent requirements for building energy efficient and environmentally responsible structures. Some requirements of this program include specific building materials, smart grid capable, gray water reclamation systems, green space minimums, high levels of insulation and low thermal transfer glass (US Green Building Council). Green buildings are a must if we are to sustain our current level of growth. Despite the higher initial cost of these buildings, the long term energy savings make these buildings a smarter choice for
Imagine trying to rebuild after a natural disaster with no charity’s or government to help. Red Cross and government play an essential role in reacting and rebuilding after a natural disaster. The government has given 100,000 family food packs to quake zones (Doc. C). Red cross has provided the affected individuals with blankets, water containers, personal hygiene items, mosquito nets, and tarpaulins (Doc. A). Red Cross is helping rebuild the victim’s homes (Doc. A). Red Cross is giving household supplies and rebuilding homes while the government is giving food. With the total amount of funding from charities and government, they can help people’s basic needs. Charities and governments working together will get these cities running well again.
However, the success of the building schemes relied on the construction methods and innovations that are now attributed as bei...
CEMEX is a global cement company from Mexico that dates back to 1906. It was formally established in 1931 through a merger between Cementos Hildago and Cementos Portland Monterrey. Although initially it operated on a domestic level, various factors within its operating environment forced it to expand internationally. Before venturing into other markets, the company opted to capitalize on the ideal environment created the Mexican Government. Nevertheless, the Mexico 1982 economic crisis forced the Government to liberalize the Mexican market thus attracting foreign competitors. To counter the new competition, CEMEX opted to first divest its business, which was diversified across hotel management, engineering, petrochemicals, to focus on its core cement production business. It opted to avoid a hostile take over by foreign companies through consolidating its position in the domestic Market. Acquiring Cementos Anahuac and Cementos Tolteca was a strategic move that enabled it control 60% of Mexican market, becoming the world tenth biggest cement company. Probably motivated by the success of this strategy and the new acquired competitive scale, the company opted to internationalize. Acquisition was the preferred strategy of expansion. This strategy undoubtedly yielded unprecedented success over the years. By 2004, CEMEX had grown to be the 3rd largest building material company in the world, experienced an 18% annual growth rate in sales, and enjoyed a revenue of US$ 7.1 billion, just to mention a few.
LEED is building the future of our construction field and it is growing rapidly. Green building through LEED is bringing about lifetime of returns that start with lessening operation costs, reducing energy, and decreasing water bills as much as forty percent. Businesses across the world are using LEED to increase the efficiency of their buildings as well as freeing up resources that can be used elsewhere to create new jobs, expand building operations, and investing in up and coming technologies. Green building technologies are drastically shaping how buildings are constructed making them more stimulating to look at as well increasing the retail values of many homes. LEED certified projects is the construction of tomorrow and will be for many more years to come.
Cement china (2013). Dangote invests $28M in Ghana cement packaging plant.[Online]Available at: http://www.cementchina.net/news/shownews.asp?id=7442[accessed November 21 2013]
In a world where over half of the human population calls a city their home, the need to restructure and revolutionize the way we design our urban environments has never been greater. Currently, the notion that these vast metropolises of metal, concrete, and sludge could one day be fully realized pillars of sustainability is certainly laughable. However, when these same cities are constantly growing and multiplying across the globe, all the while using a greater and greater chunk of our planet’s energy, this impossible task becomes a necessary focus. To strive towards the closed, continuous loop of “true” sustainability could greatly alter the image of the modern city. Any improvement over the current state of urban affairs could carry weight, and even if that goal is not entirely fulfilled, the gained benefits would be immense.
Sustainable concrete materials and sustainable steel reinforcement have been introduced to civil engineers to get closer to the sustainable development. Sustainable buildings constructed with use of these materials have shown an increased service life and the final cost has been reduced due to them.
Moore said that we can understand sustainability as “a storyline, a narrative thread that people use to understand how the past, present, and future can be connected in different ways” (Moore 2007). Since the understanding of sustainability has been changing, we can neither predict what will happen in the future nor establish a set of rules for the future generation to follow. As Norton argued, sustainable activities can be conducted in the present “without negatively impacting the range of important choices that should be left open to the next generation” (Norton 2005:432). Therefore, it’s crucial to apprehend the nature of sustainable cities in order to set up the framework while never kill
Despite the fact that novel technologies are continuously under development to complement existing practices in coming up with greener buildings, the universal intent is that such structures are designed to diminish the general effect on the built environment on health of the humans in addition to the natural environment via: Diminishing environmental degradation, pollution and waste, improving productivity of the employee and guarding occupant health, efficient usage of water, energy, in addition to other resources.
Nowadays, more than half of the world population lives in cities. Urban populations consume 75% of the world 's natural resources and generate 75% of waste. Cities have become consumers of enormous amounts of natural resources and generating massive environmental
The notion of sustainable city has mounted a paramount place in the contemporary urban planning. In the world Conservation strategies in1980, the concept of sustainable development was firstly introduced.
This module broadens our understanding on the ways in which buildings are constructed and the purpose of choosing materials and structures for buildings. This module is divided into survey, structure, materials and construction. These are taught specifically through lectures, tutorial exercises, drawings and lab test workshops. The lectures were an explanation of the topics in which our knowledge was put into practice by solving and experimenting questions during tutorials and workshops. By the end of the year, we gained great knowledge on the contents of this module by taking part in this structured order of learning and understanding in workshops and tutorials.
Samarai M.A. Qudah L.M. 2007. Planning Sustainable Mega Projects in UAE. World Housing Congress. Pg 1 – 20.
Constructing ‘green cities’ using the appropriate off-the-grid techniques would be a solution between human-environmental interactions. Off-the-grid methods uses little or without reliance on services but instead, uses schemes and technologies of alternative energy systems that uses renewable energy such as solar panels and wind turbines. Off-the-grid constructions tend to be costly mainly due to its upfront cost, nevertheless, in most cases, it would be cost-effective in spite of the minor maintenance cost and would also be a solution to some of the ecological concerns. Through understanding the environment, architects could ideally use the concept of eco-cities to minimise the carbon emissions and also consider self-sufficiency to resolve the issues between the production and the zero-emissions requirement.