Holcim Lanka recently held its first Innovation and Application (I&A) week at its new I&A centre at R.A. De Mel Mawatha to create awareness among its key stakeholders of the several value added services offered by the centre. 

During the week, three key events for stakeholders were organised. The Engineer and Academic Evening saw nearly 40 key engineers participate while the Contractor Evening had an attendance of  over 30 key engineers  at the workshops titled ‘Heat Control in Large Concrete Pouring’ conducted by Thomas Machai of HTEC Switzerland. The Architects Evening which had a participation of over 40 architects featured a presentation by Prof. Ranjith Dissanayake on the topic ‘Green Building Concepts.’

The Holcim I&A Centre stands for leading cement and concrete solution provider and is the only knowledge hub for learning on everything related to cement &concrete - its process, uses, modernisms and trends in the global construction scenario - an impetus to building knowledge, innovation and sustenance, for growth and posterity. The Holcim I&A Centre has become an invaluable value addition for Holcim stakeholders who seek technical expertise on resource optimization, green concepts, and as the knowledge exchange of the industry.

The I&A Centre houses state-of-the-art cement and concrete solution facilities, a training centre for discussions, training and knowledge sharing with industry experts, a showroom demonstrating Holcim products and services, materials and innovative products for the industry and Holcim’s major projects in Sri Lanka and the world. A comprehensive library showcases material on cement, concrete and sustainable constructions.

The Centre was set up as a medium to offer technical advice to construction professionals for better usage of construction materials, whilst simultaneously demonstrating Holcim Lanka’s sustainable commitment to its stakeholders. The Holcim I&A Centreshares knowledge with industry architects about innovative blends of concrete for creative and decorative finishes, sustainable approaches, lightweight and pervious applications. Industry engineers also approach the Centre to learn more about quality control and consistency of cement for high performance, quality assurance, durability, global cement standards, concrete know-how and actual applications of blended cement, heat of hydration in concrete, high strength concrete, speedy construction and managing cement and concrete in real applications in major projects.

The Centre also reaches out to contractors to educate them on cost cutting, mix-design optimization, selection of right materials, obtaining desired strengths with optimum cost, role of admixtures, rescue W/C ratio, and construction speed, safety and durability. Furthermore, the Centre also instructs academics and students on the practical side of cement and concrete, raw material identification, introduction to concrete mix designs, manufacturing process of cement, quarrying and m-sand, with the added provision of references and literature. By imparting maximum relevant information with stakeholders, the Centre is striving to promote sustainable practices in construction that have a far reaching impact on the nation.

About Holcim (Lanka) Ltd: Holcim Lanka is the local subsidiary to the global cement company, currently operating worldwide.  A respected corporate citizen, the company focuses on Economic, Social and Environmental performance along the triple bottom line of sustainable development. Having established the brand in Sri Lanka, Holcim Lanka today provides a range of cement products while also providing innovative concrete solutions for major construction projects in the country alongside the provision of technical expertise through the Holcim Innovation and Application Centre, which allows customers to tailor the mix of cement most suitable for them. The company currently operates island wide with an established network of distributors, united under the vision of ‘building foundations for the future of Sri Lanka’.