Smart Choices – Benefits of Building Structures and Pavements with Concrete
Concrete is preferred over other pavement material options primarily for its durability, appearance, and ease of maintenance. Concrete provides a longer service life than any other leading paving materials, often for over 30 years. Choosing concrete pavements means lower maintenance costs ... less sealing, re-striping, or resurfacing. Concrete's higher reflectance keeps surfaces cooler and helps minimize the urban heat island effect. Its higher reflectance can lower infrastructure and ongoing lighting costs, while boosting safety for vehicles and pedestrians.
Structural concrete framing technology is preferred over other structural framing material options because of its superior structural support and long-term durability. Used in all types of buildings for footings, foundations, beams and columns, concrete also provides constructive solutions for floors, walls, and roofs.
Sustainable advantages of cast-in-place, structural concrete framing include
- Durability
- Efficient energy performance (when insulated appropriately)
- Thermal mass
- Manufactured locally from abundant area resources
- Manufactured using recycled content
- Minimal waste
- Low VOC emissions
- Recyclable
- Best Value (competitive first cost, superior environmental performance, and lowest structure life-cycle costs)
Choosing concrete supports local businesses, provides local jobs, and enhances the local tax base, circulating money in (and strengthening) the local economy.
