Build to last with Holcim solutions
At Holcim, we are Building Icons in cities worldwide. Built by iconic people, they showcase our circular, resilient, low-carbon, energy-efficient and smart solutions. Sustainable, functional and beautiful, these icons are improving people's lives.
In London’s historic Canary Wharf, the mixed-use development Wood Wharf is an icon of sustainable construction. It is blazing a trail as one of the first projects in the UK to use Holcim’s low-carbon concrete ECOPact with 20% construction demolition materials inside.
For over 30 years, Canary Wharf has shifted London’s center of gravity east and upwards, as technologies develop and ambition soars. Now Wood Wharf, a milestone in circular construction, is redefining this historic part of the city.
In Greece’s mythic capital Athens, Europe’s largest urban regeneration project is taking shape. Covering 6 million square meters, the “modern, green city” of The Ellinikon is being built with Holcim’s end-to-end low-carbon solutions. With ECOPlanet cement, ECOPact and DYNAMax concretes, and more, Holcim is currently providing these for 90% of the project’s structures.
When people think of buildings in Athens they think about the icons of the past such as the Acropolis or the Ancient Agora. More recently for some, the striking 1960s concrete terminal building of Ellinikon International Airport, designed by Eero Saarinen, comes to mind.
Now, on the site of this old airport, a new Building Icon is taking off. The Ellinikon is built to last, with Holcim’s circular, resilient, low-carbon, energy-efficient and smart building solutions inside. And it's creating a buzz, as a lighthouse for sustainable construction.
Designed by renowned architect Sou Fujimoto, The SQUARE Learning Center in St. Gallen, Switzerland, is an innovative place to think, learn and work, built using ECOPact+ low-carbon concrete with ECOCycle® inside.
The SQUARE’s exterior is formed from a framework of white metal beams typical of Fujimoto’s style, while Holcim’s concrete was used for structural work and interior beams.
"We found this eco concrete by Holcim. I thought it was a nice challenge to use a new technology of reducing carbon through concrete structures."
- Sou Fujimoto, Architect of The Square
Copyright: Roland Halbe | @rolandhalbe
Copyright: Roland Halbe | @rolandhalbe
Copyright: Roland Halbe | @rolandhalbe
Zurich’s Kunsthaus art museum is a dynamic space for international exhibitions covering the 13th century to the present. With a recent extension it became the largest museum in Switzerland, blending visionary architecture with sustainable building materials.
Architect Sir David Chipperfield modeled the Kunsthaus extension on traditional stone façades, as found in the original Kunsthaus.
Holcim Switzerland provided low-carbon cement to reduce the building’s carbon footprint and made concrete surfaces brighter – helping create a spectacular, sustainable landmark.
A modern Basel icon on The Rhine, The Roche Towers are the tallest office buildings in Switzerland, with Building 1 and Building 2 standing proud at 178 meters and 205 meters.
Holcim supplied an integrated solution of different materials to realize the striking vision of architects Herzog & de Meuron, such as ultra-high performance concrete and bespoke services.
For Building 2, we developed a special concrete and two tailor-made cements. Performance optimized, these also reduced CO2 emissions by up to 30% versus traditional Portland cement.
