A low carbon concrete solution was used on the Nuvo Condo project in Oakville, Ont., creating a significant CO2 reduction in the building’s footprint.
The eight-storey, 484-unit residential building is being constructed by partners Fernbrook Homes and Crystal Homes.
The scale of the concrete required for the building was large. There was a desire for the project team to come up with concrete solutions that integrated sustainability measures into the project.
“The collaboration between stakeholders was that kind of innovative piece to this project,” said Lara Yousif, performance and marketing director with Lafarge Canada.
“This development we are saying is unique because of its sustainability ambitions. Of the 24,000 cubic metres supplied to the project over 17,000 of it was ECOPact. That’s Lafarge’s low-carbon concrete solution.”
Conversations on using a sustainable solution started early in the project.
“ECOPact offers a low carbon alternative that not only meets but exceeds the properties of standard concrete,” Yousif explained. “This means that it can be used in all traditional applications.
“In general, ECOPact is very similar to standard concrete performance… If it’s doing the same thing and it costs very similar and there is not significant price premiums or project schedule delays why not use the sustainable version of the product?”
The approach was successful and accelerated the delivery, Yousif said. In addition to incorporating ECOPact, Weathermix Cold Weather Concrete and Chronolia High Early Strength Concrete were also used.
Fernbrook Homes and Crystal Homes both got on board with the sustainable solution early on in the process.
“With this building sustainability took centre stage, in collaboration with Fernbrook Homes and Crystal Homes, Lafarge was able to offer an e-conscious solution for this residential building and the eager implementation of ECOPact led to a remarkable 31 per cent reduction in carbon emissions, which is approximately 1,750 tons of CO2,” she said. “If we put that into context, that collaboration, that early conversation in the design phase equated to savings equivalent to 2,000 tons of waste recycled instead of landfilled.”
The project’s challenges also centered around prioritizing sustainability.
“It was to maintain our standard construction practices and timelines,” Yousif explained. “We recognized the need for sustainable concrete solutions that can easily be integrated into the typical construction methods used in the industry today. These challenges were mainly overcome given the eagerness to collaborate with all the stakeholders involved.”
Nuvo Condos, located near Bronte Road and Dundas Street West in Oakville, sits on 4.5 acres. It’s situated adjacent to 200 kilometres of trails and amenities include a rooftop social lounge with adjacent indoor party facilities and cooking areas, a rooftop resistance pool, fitness centre, basketball court, community gardens and more.
The concrete phase of the project was completed a few months ago. The team is currently focused on exterior finishes and slowly transitioning into the interior finishing work. The anticipated occupancy date is targeted for spring 2024.
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