Cemex helps restore Mexico’s City of Archives

The City of Archives is the second-largest repository of documents in Mexico, after the General Archive of the Nation. The complex includes 16 000 m of special shelves that safeguard documents concerning several of Mexico’s greatest historic figures.

From the conception of the project, the architect, Ignacio Mendaro Corsini, emphasised that all structural elements should remind of and honour the Mixtec Oaxacan culture. This meant that the traditional grey colour of concrete needed to be changed to typical adobe.

The project managers reached out to Cemex to achieve the specific colour. Over 20 tests were performed by Cemex, varying the quantities of inputs used, until the required tone was found.

Cemex also took into account the effect that additional procedures, such as curing, could have on the product’s final colour. The mix was complemented with HIDRATIUM: a self-curing concrete that replaces concrete’s natural curing process.

“We received timely assistance from CEMEX’s team in Oaxaca and Monterrey—ranging from lab and behavioural assessments to concrete’s mechanical features, even considering changes to the pouring timetable,” said engineer and architect Alberto Orozco Pintos, Work Superintendent of PAGASA Construcciones.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/the-americas/23032017/cemex-helps-restore-mexicos-city-of-archives/