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| August 8, 2007
Sustainable Construction Project at Alcoa's Juruti, Brazil Site Wins Prestigious Architecture Award
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alcoa (NYSE:AA) announced today that its Juruti bauxite mining project
in Brazil was recognized recently during the IV Corporate Architecture
Grand Prix, a corporate architectural awards program promoted by
Brazilian publishing house Flex Eventos. Architect Márcio
Mazza won the prestigious award in the Sustainability Category for
extensive use of sustainable materials in the construction of the Juruti
site.
There are more than 30 buildings, corresponding to some 15,000 sq m. of
construction area, using recycled materials.
“The architectural project includes not only
works for the Alcoa facility, but also for those of the Positive Agenda,
a set of voluntary initiatives developed in partnership with the
community and municipal authorities, to improve the quality of life of
the local population, with immediate action in the areas of education,
health and infrastructure,” explains Mauricio
Macedo, Alcoa’s Sustainability and Corporate
Affairs Manager in Juruti.
Construction of the airport, Municipal Court and the Senai Professional
Education Center are also being carried out using sustainable materials,
such as small concrete columns made with cardboard molds and certified
wood from the region.
“Before starting this project, we researched
local characteristics and discussed the feasibility of this work with
the people in the community. From our learnings, we drew up the
architectural plans. Today, the town is beginning to receive modern
buildings that preserve natural resources,”
says Architect Márcio Mazza.
For masonry construction, unfired clay bricks dried in the shade and
made from raw materials from the region were selected. The unfired
bricks were produced by local town people following training. “This
is a major contribution by Alcoa to the region, because IBAMA (the
Federal Government’s environment department)
had already closed two brickworks in the town for the illegal burning of
wood,” says Mazza.
Building coverings are composed of tiles made from recycled plastic and
aluminum toothpaste tubes, as are the building’s
inner divisions and ceilings. Traditional aluminum tiles are also used.
The coverings that protect the new buildings in Juruti were planned
after researching the large huts made by the Ianomâmi
Indians. According to Mazza, the building’s
verandahs also house various functions. “The
buildings were strategically distributed to create large covered spaces,
thus creating large shady areas for moving between the buildings,
covered squares, gardens, etc. The project, therefore, adopts a typical
regional solution, since Juruti was founded by two tribes –Munduruku and Muirapinima– and
even today has a large population descended from these people,”
the architect concludes.
About Alcoa
Alcoa is the world's leading producer and manager of primary aluminum,
fabricated aluminum and alumina facilities, and is active in all major
aspects of the industry. Alcoa serves the aerospace, automotive,
packaging, building and construction, commercial transportation and
industrial markets, bringing design, engineering, production and other
capabilities of Alcoa's businesses to customers. In addition to aluminum
products and components including flat-rolled products, hard alloy
extrusions, and forgings, Alcoa also markets Alcoa®
wheels, fastening systems, precision and investment castings, structures
and building systems. The company has 116,000 employees in 44 countries
and has been named one of the top most sustainable corporations in the
world at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. More
information can be found at www.alcoa.com
Note to Editors: There should be an accent over the "a" in "Márcio"
above. Also, there should be a caret over the second "a" in "Ianomâmi"
above. These symbols may not appear properly in some systems.
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