iCrete concrete mixes enhance construction efficiency, and reduce greenhouse gases, material costs, excavation time and labour, according to a statement.

These aspects are said to be a perfect fit to the UAE’s focus on ‘green buildings’, it said.

iCrete recently signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Unibeton Ready Mix, the Gulf’s leading concrete producer, to provide iCrete clean technology system in all the 22 Unibeton plants in the region.

“High-rises are an integral part of the evolving skyline of the Middle East region,” said Gary Winnick, founder and chairman of iCrete. “The use of iCrete concrete mixes will greatly add to the construction efficiency of these towers, as proven internationally. Beekman Tower in New York City, for example, will achieve savings in cement used by about 30 to 40 per cent while achieving a commendable reduction in greenhouse gases by about 40 per cent. This supports the sustainable development initiatives that are gaining ground in the region.”

Just blocks from the World Trade Centre Complex, the 76-storey, $660 million Beekman Tower is billed to catalyse the development of lower downtown Manhattan. When completed it will be tallest residential building in New York City. Scheduled for hand-over in 2010, Beekman Tower will have 903 luxury residential apartments, each with its own floor-plan.

Some 65,000 yards of cast-in-place reinforced, high-strength concrete by iCrete will be placed on the main structure and another 9,000 yards for the foundation. In all, 280 million pounds of concrete, ranging in strength from 6,000 to 11,000 psi, will be used.

With less cement paste needed to bond the aggregates, iCrete enables reduction in the carbon footprint of the buildings. iCrete concrete mixes also help achieve savings in material costs, excavation and labour apart from the benefits of faster finishing times, reduced shrinkage, durability and less creep. – TradeArabia News Service