May 28, 2008 - Cemex has cemented plans for a new U.S. headquarters in Houston, Texas, that will achieve LEED certification thanks in part to the green-building benefits of using the company's own brand of recycled-content concrete.

"The new Cemex USA headquarters will be the largest green building of its kind in Houston, and Cemex's concrete will help make it green," the company said in a statement. Using concrete as a construction material helps reduce building energy use and demand on air conditioning systems, Cemex says, because the concrete reflects more of the sun's energy during the day and does not radiate as much stored heat at night (known as the "heat island effect").

In addition, Cemex concrete mixes include recycled materials such as fly ash, a byproduct of coal burned at power plants, which would otherwise be landfilled. Fly ash actually improves the workability of the concrete, reducing the amount of water required in the mix, according to Cemex.

Cemex will occupy 170,000 square feet of the new 325,000 square foot office building in West Houston, slated for completion in early 2009.