Low-Carbon Cement Applied at Boston Office Building

WS Development and Sublime Systems have applied low-carbon Sublime Cement, manufactured by Sublime Systems, in the indoor public space of WS Development’s One Boston Wharf, a new net-zero-carbon office building.

Sublime Systems is developing a method of avoiding CO2 from cement-making, which currently accounts for 8% of global CO2 emissions, according to the company. Sublime’s “true-zero” manufacturing technology fully avoids traditional cement’s major emissions sources, including limestone feedstock and fossil-fueled kilns. Instead, the company uses electrochemistry to extract reactive cementitious ingredients from non-carbonate materials.

“Buildings are monuments to the values of the people who build them, and the One Boston Wharf project represents WS Development’s leadership in ushering in our post-carbon future,” said Dr. Leah Ellis, CEO Sublime, in a statement. “We are honored to have Sublime Cement featured so prominently here and are confident this inspire infrastructure owners everywhere to embrace low-embodied-carbon materials as a powerful tool for achieving our global net-zero goals.”

One Boston Wharf is a 707,000 square foot, 17-story building with ground floor retail and restaurants, as well as the 700-seat Seaport Performing Arts Center located on the second and third floors, and 630,000 square feet of office space.

The Sublime Cement concrete placement will be located prominently in One Boston Wharf Road’s primary public space, called the Paseo. The Sublime Cement floor will be marked with educational materials explaining the significance of decarbonized cement.

“We and Sublime share the same vision and mission,” said Yanni Tsipis, SVP at WS Development, in a statement. “We are developing the largest net-zero-carbon office building ever built in Boston, and now we have the opportunity to showcase the most forward-thinking low-carbon building technology on the planet in the public space, at the heart of this building."