US Department of the Interior

About This Project

The US Department of the Interior’s new office building in Albuquerque, New Mexico has 165,000 square feet and is three stories high. In addition to office space, the building will be used for the Department’s file storage facility. Pete Skolmoski of Opus Construction stated they needed lightweight concrete with superior tensile strength and durability for use with composite metal decks for the upper floors.Working with Waycor, Sika Fibermesh and Noel Construction, Opus’ engineers approved the use of Novomesh® 850, an engineered blend of steel and synthetic fibers from Sika Fibermesh, with a lightweight mix design provided by Waycor. By utilizing 24 pounds per yard Novomesh 850, Opus was able to retain the required rating and weight restrictions by eliminating the rebar and WWF, while achieving the strength and durability needed. Opus has used Novomesh 850 in similar projects around the country and is very pleased with the results. Noel and Waycor have also used Novomesh 850 in other projects plan to use it in many future projects.