EcoSmart™ Concrete is a simple but efficient solution to both improve concrete performance and make it a green material. The formula maximizes the replacement of cement with Supplementary Cementing Materials (SCMs) while maintaining or improving cost, physical performance and constructability.

Originally developed by CANMET, a world-renowned Canadian Government laboratory, it is proven in some of the world’s most difficult environments and has now also been successfully tested and implemented in the UAE.

EcoSmart Concrete – using high volumes of SCMs, such as ground granulated blast furnace slag and fly ash from coal burning power stations – has many advantages over a conventional concrete mix. It is demonstrably more durable, with an ability to resist salt corrosion in extreme marine environments. EcoSmart Concrete is easier to pump and work, especially in high temperatures. There are financial savings and less water and cooling is required, key concerns throughout the GCC.

And while all of those reasons are enough for most architects, engineers and construction managers, there are also distinct environmental advantages. Concrete is second only to water as the most consumed substance on earth and cement production accounts for 5% of all global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. By reducing the amount of cement used, EcoSmart Concrete lowers the overall GHG footprint of the project. EcoSmart Concrete can help projects gain credits in the LEED green building rating system.

For almost a decade, the EcoSmart Foundation, a non-profit Canadian corporation, has worked with designers, engineers, developers and construction managers to test the use of EcoSmart Concrete in real construction projects – including towers, bridges, metro stations and condominiums – all with great success.

That success has spread to the Emirates. After a series of tests on high volumes of fly ash in concrete were conducted by four independent laboratories, EcoSmart Concrete was confirmed to perform very well in the harsh climate and construction conditions in the Emirates.

EcoSmart Concrete is being demonstrated in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest building, has fly ash in its concrete mix, primarily for the increased durability and pumpability.