SCA Announces 2023 Slag Cement in Sustainable Concrete Award Winners

The Slag Cement Association (SCA) announced the winners of its 2023 Slag Cement in Sustainable Concrete Awards. The winning projects were unveiled and celebrated on March 27, 2024, during the spring ACI Concrete Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana.

“It has been a great privilege to honor so many unique and innovative projects at this year’s Slag Cement in Sustainable Concrete Awards.” stated SCA Marketing Director Nick Brimley. “The awards program not only recognizes excellence in concrete construction but also shows the pivotal role slag cement plays in advancing sustainability within our built environment.”

Eleven construction projects from across the United States were chosen to showcase the broad applications of slag cement and its impact on creating more durable and sustainable concrete. These construction projects were awarded in six categories. The categories include infrastructure, high performance, architectural, durability, innovative applications, and lower carbon concrete. One slag cement research project was also honored in this year’s program.

The 2023 Slag Cement in Sustainable Concrete Construction Award Winners:

Infrastructure

Race Street Bridge, in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania
Wixom Assembly Park, in Wixom, Michigan

High Performance

333 North Water, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Excellerate Manufacturing, in Appleton, Wisconsin

Architectural

University of Wyoming Park Garage & Police Department, in Laramie, Wyoming
Whitman-Walker at St. Elizabeth’s Max Robinson Center, in Washinton, DC

Durability

Hillman Garage, in Annapolis, Maryland
RIU Hotel Chicago, in Chicago, Illinois

Innovative Applications

Art House Condominiums 200 Central, in St Petersburg, Florida
Duck Lake Country Club, in Albion, Michigan

Lower Carbon Concrete

Manor West River, in Tampa, Florida

The 2023 Slag Cement in Sustainable Concrete Awards Research Award Winner:

Utilization of Supplementary Cementitious Materials for Cementing Enhanced

Geothermal Wells

Lyn Zemberekci, Cornell University

Project Description: This project aimed at understanding the behavior of cement slurries that contained a high-volume replacement of Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs). Specifically, grade 100 Ground Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag (GGBFS), Fly Ash (FA), and Silica Flour. The impact of using GGBFS, FA, and a blend of both was assessed in a series of tests on the rheological, mechanical, and microstructural behavior at high-pressure high-temperature conditions. The results demonstrated a superior performance by the SCM-containing slurries compared to the control counterparts. The pumpable high-strength slurries had a densified microstructure and formed calcium aluminate silicate hydrate products (C-A-S-H). Comprehensive findings of these tests are in preparation for journal publication.

More information on the winning construction and research projects can be found at www.slagcement.org/awards.