Graniterock masters ultra green concrete for UC Santa Cruz science building
SANTA CRUZ – Graniterock helped UC Santa Cruz build an environmentally-friendly new science building by producing an “ultra green” concrete mix with nearly 70 percent supplementary cementitious materials.
The Coastal Biology building for UCSC’s Coastal Science Campus, under construction since May 2015 with general contractor Swinerton Builders, includes Graniterock ultra green concrete made with lightweight aggregate and 69 percent supplemental cementitious materials.
Supplemental cementitious materials are reclaimed materials, in this case 54 percent slag and 15 percent fly ash, that are used in place of virgin Portland cement resulting in greenhouse gas savings.
Most green concrete mixes are made with 25 percent supplementary cementitious materials.
“We’ve never done a mix like this before,” said Katha Redmon, Graniterock’s director of concrete products. “We worked hard to get it just right on strength and shrinkage. The final mix exceeded our expectations.”
The nearly 1,700 yards of ultra green concrete were made at Graniterock’s plant in Santa Cruz for subcontractors Berkeley Cement and Roebbelen.
The cement replacement equates to a carbon dioxide savings of approximately 200 pounds per yard.
The ultra green concrete was used in constructing the second floor of the 40,000-square-foot building.
Graniterock also supplied a structural concrete mix for the project’s footings, wall and foundation slab with 54 percent supplementary cementitious materials.
Producing green concrete is part of Granitrock’s commitment to protecting the environment, shrinking our carbon footprint and building better projects.
UCSC’s Coastal Biology building will support research and teaching on coastal conservation, ecology, habitat restoration, climate change impacts and policy.
Construction is expected to be completed by spring.
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About Graniterock: Graniterock is a private construction company founded on Feb. 14, 1900. Based in Watsonville, Graniterock has operations throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Central Coast. The company supplies high-quality construction materials, and operates a construction division specializing in heavy civil engineering projects such as major highways, airports and private commercial and residential projects.
