In its first-ever U.S. awards competition, Cemex, Inc., named 12 finalists in outstanding achievement in construction and design at the inaugural Cemex Building Awards ceremony last week. Three projects were selected as best in the nation and their designers, contractors and engineers were awarded not only the U.S. title in either Housing, Institutional/Industrial, or Infrastructure project categories, but also received a specially designed concrete and glass award.

The award recipients were recognized for use and application of concrete, innovation, execution of the project, architectural or structural design, urban concept and the attention and respect for the environment the builder, architect or engineer displayed. The recipients will later compete against winners from about 30 countries for the world title at the 15th Cemex International Awards held in Monterrey, Mexico, in November. The award winners were:

Housing Award: Fremont Mews Apartments, Sacramento, Calif., for which Cemex provided a ready mixed design that included flyash and straight cement mixes. The general contractor was JR Roberts Corp. and the concrete contractor was RJS & Associates.

Infrastructure Award: Santana Row, San Jose, Calif. More than 37,000 cu yd of Cemex concrete were used to construct post-tension decks that support parking and residences above retail areas. The project was designed by architects Sandy & Babcock; the concrete contractor was RJS & Associates; and the general contractor was Bovis Lend Lease

Institutional/Industrial Award: The CalPERS Headquarters Building, Sacramento, Calif. Of the 70,000 cu yd of concrete supplied by Cemex, a large portion used high-volume slag and flyash. Kendall/Heaton Associates designed the project. Contractors were Hensel Phelps Construction Co. and Amaroso Construction Co.

Three finalists were also named in each category. For a complete list of winners and finalists, as well as details on all 12 awarded projects, visit www.cemexusa.com