Photo © Caroline Alain

Precast concrete was selected for La Tohu Pavilion (Montreal) for its durability for being fireproof and recyclable.

The Canadian Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (CPCI) and the Cement Association of Canada (CAC) have joined together in a declaration for their industry's vision for a sustainable future.

This initiative will create achievable, yet stringent, goals to reduce the industry's environmental impacts while enhancing societal and economic impacts and proactively report the industry's effect on the environment.

The main focus is to advise and educate the construction industry regarding sustainable practices, raise awareness of the effects of their actions on society and the environment, communicate the benefits associated with sustainability, and formulate reliable, scientifically based information about sustainable design with concrete.

"As recently as last fall, CAC and CPCI, in partnership with the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), developed and presented a one-day 'Concrete Thinking Sustainable Educational Seminar,'" said Brian Hall, CPCI national marketing director. "These were delivered in every major city across Canada in the fall of 2009," he said.

This one-day professional development seminar gave participants:
• a clear understanding of how, and where, concrete can be used effectively in designing a variety of sustainable buildings; and
• practical details maximizing the benefits concrete has to offer in sustainability, energy efficiency, strength, fire/sound resistance, and building envelope performance.

The initial goal is to promote the sustainable benefits of concrete solutions to owners, developers, designers, municipalities, and all other interested parties and become a trusted and credible knowledge source with regard to sustainability. It is also to collaborate and partner with other organizations to research and develop design innovations and system solutions related to a sustainable built environment.