Project Overview
This project—the first building in the world with all concrete made of 100% recycled content—consists of a new credit union branch, including drive-up tellers, lobby, conference room, offices, and associated site development. The new branch pioneered the use of a "concrete" product that eliminated portland cement, a product with high embodied energy, from the building. Site-cast footings, foundation walls, floor slabs, precast beams, exterior wall panels, coping, sills, and lintels all use a mixture that utilizes 100% fly ash (a waste product of coal-fired power plants) and recycled glass aggregate.
The regulated, uniform building units produced in the controlled environment of the precast plant helped the project team gain approval for the unique mixture used in the project. When not mixed properly, the mixture flash set. While this did not affect the mixture's strength, it did affect workability.
Precast Solution
The building, completed in 2008, was the first in Montana to be awarded LEED-NC v2.2 platinum certification. The project has helped spur the interest in functional, innovative green building design in western Montana.
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