ACI lauds Concrete Construction Award winners

The American Concrete Institute honored the winners of its 2016 Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards during its convention in Philadelphia last October.

The highest honor, “The Excellence Award,” was presented to Palazzo Italia (Italian Pavilion Expo 2015), Milan, Italy, and was submitted by the ACI Italy Chapter. This award is given to a project that demonstrates excellence in concrete innovation and technology, and stands out above all other entries.

The Italian Pavilion’s architectural design features a complex structure whose exterior and some interior spaces are in the shapes of branches in a thick forest. All of the outdoor surface and part of the interior consist of i.active Biodynamic cement panels, made from a new patented material from Italcementi.

In direct sunlight, the material “captures” certain pollutants in the air and converts them into inert salts, helping to purify smog. The material’s fluidity allows it to be cast in complex shapes like those found in the Palazzo Italia panels.

The awards were created to honor the visions of the most creative projects in the concrete industry, while providing a platform to recognize concrete innovation, technology and excellence across the globe. To be eligible to participate in the competition, projects must be winners at a local ACI chapter level and submitted by that chapter, or chosen by one of ACI’s international partners. An independent panel of esteemed industry professionals judge the projects and select the winners.

The winning projects were selected from among several possible categories, with first- and second-place winners in the following:

Repair and Restoration
First place: in San Francisco, California

First place: in San Francisco, California