International expertise
The products and expertise of Holcim Group companies have been applied in many remarkable construction projects all over the world. The following are some samples of the numerous projects where we have supplied not just cement, aggregates or concrete but the whole package, including the expertise and experience of our employees.
TwinCenter, Casablanca, Morocco
The largest-ever volume of ready-mix concrete for a single building was used in the construction of the a modern landmark: the Twin Center in Casablanca, Morocco. With its two towers rising 110 meters above the ground, the Twin Center occupies 13,500 square meters of land and features offices, a shopping center, hotel, residential units, exhibition space, restaurants and bars, and three basement car parks.
TwinCenter, Casablanca, Morocco
Christchurch Art Gallery, New Zealand
Christchurch Art Gallery (Te Puna o Waiwhetu) opened in May 2003 in the heart of the city's cultural precinct. Now the largest art institution in New Zealand's South Island, the gallery is home to one of the country's most important public art collections.The pre-cast and in-situ concrete needed for load-bearing walls and ceilings was supplied by Holcim New Zealand to exacting specifications. The gallery temperature must remain between 20-2 2°C, with an ideal humidity level of 52%, so to help keep these constant, the concrete gallery walls are between 300mm and 600mm thick.
Christchurch Art Gallery, New Zealand
Gotthard Base Tunnel, Central Switzerland
AlpTransit Gotthard's New Rail Link through the Alps (NRLA) will make high-speed travel across Switzerland a reality, with trains traveling at 200-250 km/h. The heart of the new rail route, the 57-kilometer Gotthard Base Tunnel, will be the world's longest railway tunnel, and Holcim's construction site for the tunnel is currently its largest in Europe. The sheer scale of the venture, the multitude of issues that need to be addressed and the demanding engineering services required present tremendous challenges for all involved and make this project one of Holcim's biggest ever. Huge quantities of rock - 24 million tons - will have to be excavated from the Gotthard Base Tunnel alone.
Gotthard Base Tunnel, Central Switzerland
Itaipu Hydroelectric Power Plant, Brazil
The Itaipu hydroelectric power plant, the largest in operation anywhere in the world, is situated on the border between Brazil and Paraguay. The dam is over 7 kilometers long and as high as a 65-storey building, and regulates up to 62,000 meters of water per second, 40 times that of the massive Iguaçu Falls. By 2000, it was supplying over 90% of the energy consumed by Paraguay and 20% of that consumed by Brazil. During its construction, the course of the Paraná River, the seventh biggest river in the world, was diverted, and 50 million tonnes of earth and rock removed. The amount of Holcim concrete used during its construction was 15 times that used in the Channel Tunnel.
Itaipu Hydroelectric Power Plant, Brazil
Toronto Pearson International Airport, Canada
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), responsible for the management, operation and maintenance of Canada's busiest airport, developed a 10-year expansion and redevelopment plan to accommodate this rapidly increasing demand including construction of new terminals, parking facilities and a shopping center. Dufferin Group, a Holcim company in Canada, has been involved in the project and has already delivered 200,000 m3 of concrete in accordance with special production and short-distance delivery procedures.
Toronto Pearson International Airport, Canada