A close up of a metal rail
Construction, Interior Styles,

Innovation for safe and reliable infrastructure

Recent incidents have been a stark reminder of the critical role of infrastructure in our lives. Urbanized modern society relies on bridges, roads, ports and airports. Maintaining these assets is key to their safety and reliability.

A trillion-dollar challenge

McKinsey & Company estimates that USD 3.7 trillion of investment in economic infrastructure is needed worldwide every year1. Given restrained public budgets everywhere, it remains important to invest efficiently in infrastructure maintenance.

Innovation is the answer to many of these challenges. The building materials sector already today offers solutions that help both to rehabilitate existing infrastructure as well as to support new projects. Beyond cost-effectiveness, the ultimate goal is to provide durable, long-lasting solutions.

Solutions that work

LafargeHolcim’s Ductal® is one of a series of products that has proven to serve the special needs of road infrastructure maintenance contractors and at the same time to be cost-efficient. Ductal® is an Ultra-High Performance Concrete reinforced by metallic fibers. These durability parameters and its different applications lead to shorter downtimes and better durability.

Currently, it is used in a range of engineering projects, notably bridge rehabilitation and retrofitting. Ductal® is used for joint fill to connect precast elements, on bridge deck overlays that ensure durability for more than 150 years as well as for pier jacketing to guarantee longevity and seismic resistance. This innovative material has already strengthened such iconic structures as Switzerland’s Chillon Viaducts, New York’s Pulaski Skyway, and more than 300 other bridges worldwide.

In Belgrade, LafargeHolcim supplied 30,000 tonnes of cement to the city’s centerpiece Ada Bridge, which is both the highest in Serbia and even the largest single pylon suspension bridge in the world. The bridge has made the city greener and better-connected, reducing the traffic across other Sava river bridges in Belgrade by about 40%, saving up to 11 tons of petrol per year.

A large building
Gaming,

Asian Games 2018 go for sustainability gold with LafargeHolcim’s ThruCrete and Colocrete

On your marks, get set, go! The starting whistle will shortly be blown in the Gelora Bung Karno sports complex in Jakarta, Indonesia, as it co-hosts the 431 sporting events of the 18th Asian Games in August 2018. LafargeHolcim has helped the country’s Ministry of Public Works and Housing to get to the starting line sustainably by fulfilling its green building certification goals.

Record-breaking renovation

Gelora Bung Karno (GBK), Indonesia’s largest sports complex, is preparing to act as the epicenter of the 2018 Asian Games. Holcim Indonesia played its part in the renovation project, providing its innovative ThruCrete and ColoCrete products to create a new jogging track and extensive pedestrian walkways. The decorative walkways will cover an area of 70,000m², setting a world record among LafargeHolcim permeable concrete projects.

A winning bid

Keen on achieving green building certification for the GBK renovation project, Indonesia’s Ministry of Public Works and Housing recognized the importance of sustainable and aesthetically pleasing design for this large pedestrian area. Designed to minimize the impact of heavy rainfall, and boasting a range of colors, Holcim’s ThruCrete and Colocrete were therefore key to winning the project bid.

The pride of Indonesian sporting heritage, the vast GBK sports complex – which includes one of the world’s largest football stadiums along with athletic tracks, an aquatic stadium, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, hockey, baseball and archery fields, and several indoor gymnasiums – is also very popular among Jakartans for daily sports and recreation. Holcim Indonesia has therefore not only contributed to the preparation of one of the world’s major sporting events, but to the lasting enjoyment of the sports complex among the local community.