CEMEX
en
  • ES
About Us
  • Our History
    • Global Presence
    • ETHOS Line
    • Our Timeline
  • Company Profile
  • Management Team
  • Ethics & Compliance
    • Ethics
    • Corporate Governance
    • Antitrust
    • Anti-bribery
    • Information Retention
    • Insider Trading
    • Conflict Minerals
  • Position Papers
CEMEX Go
  • Open CEMEX Go
  • Learning Hub
    • Preparing to Buy
    • User Management
    • Customer Information
    • Commercial Conditions
    • Order & Product Catalogue
    • Delivery Schedule
    • CEMEX Track
    • Invoices
    • Payments
  • Suggestions
  • FAQs
Investors
  • Reports
    • Reports
    • Reports Archive
    • SEC Filings
    • Financial Reports Excel
    • BMV Reports
    • Email Alerts
    • Relevant Events
  • Financial Highlights
    • Faqs
    • Glossary
    • Contact Us
  • Stock Information
    • Direct Stock Purchase Plan
    • Stock Chart
    • Capitalization Program
    • Dividends
    • Equity Analysts
    • Corporate Action Announcement
  • Debt Information
    • Corporate Structure
    • Maturity Profile
    • Credit Ratings
    • U.S. Dollar and Euro Denominated Notes
    • Mexican Peso Denominated Notes
    • Perpetual Notes
    • Fixed Income Analysts
  • Corporate Governance
    • Board of Directors
    • Management Team
    • Committees
    • Code of Ethics
    • By-Laws
    • Sarbanes-Oxley Act
    • CEMEX and the NYSE
Products & Services
  • Products
    • Cement
    • Aggregates
    • Ready-Mix Concrete
    • Related Products
  • Services
  • Building Solutions
    • Buildings
    • Pavements
    • Green Building Services
  • Global Solutions
    • Engineering and Projects
    • Plant Optimization
    • Customized Services
    • Operation & Maintenance
    • Expertise Network
    • Camp
  • Trading
  • Local Sales Contact
Careers
  • Life @ CEMEX
  • Locations & Functions
  • CEMEX Opportunities
    • Students + Graduates
    • Experienced Professionals
    • Join Us
  • Why CEMEX?
    • A meaningful challenge
    • Innovation
    • Performance and Values Driven
    • Diversity
Sustainability
  • Strategy
    • Sustainability Committee
    • Materiality Analysis
    • Core KPIs and 2020 Targets
    • Risk Management
    • Sustainability History
  • Model
    • Resilient and Efficient Building Solutions
    • High-Impact Social Strategy
    • Environmental Excellence for Responsible Growth
    • Core Values Into Every Action
  • Stakeholder Engagement
    • Our People
    • Our Neighbors
    • Our Business Partners
    • Our World
    • Global Partnerships
    • Local Partnerships
    • Public Policy
  • Policies & Positions
    • Policies
    • Position Papers
  • Reports
    • Global Reports
    • Country Reports
    • CDP
    • External Advisory Panel
    • Independent Assurance
Suppliers
  • Sourcing Approach
    • Global Negotiations
    • Country Negotiations
    • Business Code of Conduct
    • Supply Chain Diversity
    • Continuous Improvement
  • Become a Supplier
  • Sustainable Sourcing
  • Direct Line
    • Comments or Suggestions
    • Complaints
    • Innovation Program
Media
  • Stories
  • Press Releases
  • Building Award
    • The Award
    • Winners
    • Jury
    • Book
    • "Lorenzo H. Zambrano" Prize
  • Social Media
About Us
  • Our History
  • Company Profile
  • Management Team
  • Ethics & Compliance
  • Position Papers
CEMEX Go
  • Open CEMEX Go
  • Learning Hub
  • Suggestions
  • FAQs
Investors
  • Reports
  • Financial Highlights
  • Stock Information
  • Debt Information
  • Corporate Governance
Products & Services
  • Products
  • Services
  • Building Solutions
  • Global Solutions
  • Trading
  • Local Sales Contact
Careers
  • Life @ CEMEX
  • Locations & Functions
  • CEMEX Opportunities
  • Why CEMEX?
Sustainability
  • Strategy
  • Model
  • Stakeholder Engagement
  • Policies & Positions
  • Reports
Suppliers
  • Sourcing Approach
  • Become a Supplier
  • Sustainable Sourcing
  • Direct Line
Media
  • Stories
  • Press Releases
  • Building Award
  • Social Media

Supernumerario: A unique dental office with “teeth” turns heads in Puerto Rico - Supernumerario: A unique dental office with “teeth” turns heads in Puerto Rico

angle-left Supernumerario: A unique dental office with “teeth” turns heads in Puerto Rico
  • Media
  • Stories
  • Full Story
  • Media
  • Stories
  • Full Story

Supernumerario: A unique dental office with “teeth” turns heads in Puerto Rico

October 20, 2016

This 2015 CEMEX International Building Award winner was renovated to precise specifications using CEMEX materials.


The word supernumerary is defined as “exceeding what is necessary, required, or desired”, and in dentistry, it refers specifically to the presence of additional teeth. The supernumerario dental office in Yabucoa in southeast Puerto Rico certainly fits this description, going beyond what was strictly necessary to create a striking, unusual structure that succeeds in alluding to its functional purpose while adding character to the neighborhood. This outstanding building was a winner at the 2015 CEMEX Building Award Puerto Rico, going on to achieve third place at the international edition that same year.

Exterior cannons protrude from the walls to harness natural light for the previously windowless building

Exterior “cannons” protrude from the walls to harness natural light for the previously windowless building

The project consisted of renovating an existing window-less building, previously the city’s first supermarket, into a three-story multi-use building with a ground-floor dental practice, basement offices and an apartment above. CEMEX played an essential role in taking the design from its main conceptual premise through to execution.

Concrete is an extremely versatile material, which in turn allows for sculptural possibilities that let architects and designers to give free reign to their ideas. Among the 27,000 cubic feet (almost 765 cubic meters) of ready-mix concrete supplied, CEMEX designed a special concrete mixture for the exposed concrete façades. The mixture was designed to achieve smooth surfaces and a consistent color and had to be sufficiently fluid to support efficient pours but without compromising quality.

The CEMEX commercial team in Puerto Rico maintained close communication with the client throughout the project to ensure that his needs were met. “As the designer, I asked CEMEX for a white aggregate from the same quarry and same geological area to minimize discrepancies, which meant securing a single material acquisition,” explained Julián Manriquez Botello, the project’s architect. The material which CEMEX chose, he added, “helped achieve the concrete and tone I was looking for solely through natural means and not through tinting (artificial method).”

Among the 27,000 cubic feet (almost 765 cubic meters) of ready-mix concrete supplied, CEMEX designed a special concrete mixture for the exposed concrete facades

Among the 27,000 cubic feet (almost 765 cubic meters) of ready-mix concrete supplied, CEMEX designed a special concrete mixture for the exposed concrete façades

Aside from simulating the color of healthy white teeth, Manriquez Botello explained that the chosen aggregates made the concrete more reflective, so that the light from the sunset would make the building appear to be of a different color.

The building’s offices and dental practice were conceived for easy accessibility and so use ramps instead of an elevator or stairs. Exterior “light cannons” protrude from the walls to harness natural light for the previously windowless building. Patients who enter the clinic are also treated to a concrete interior that is as unique as the exterior façade, with geometric shapes on a floating ceiling that alludes to the palate.

Manriquez Botello says the residents of Yabucoa have embraced supernumerario, pointing to the fact that its pristine white walls have remained free of graffiti and that locals have given the building many nicknames. “They intuitively sense that something special is happening,” he says, “These are all indicators that the locals are taking ownership of the building, making it part of them, of their daily discourse.” This, he concludes, is one of the amazing capabilities of architecture and construction.

On November 10, 2016, 62 finalists from 20 different countries will compete for the International Edition of the 2016 CEMEX Building Award. The winners of each of the five categories will be announced during a ceremony hosted by CEMEX in Mexico City.

Patients who enter the clinic are also treated to a concrete interior that is as unique as the exterior façade, with geometric shapes on a floating ceiling that alludes to the palate

Patients who enter the clinic are also treated to a concrete interior that is as unique as the exterior façade, with geometric shapes on a floating ceiling that alludes to the palate

 

CEMEX is a global building materials company that provides high quality products and reliable service to customers and communities in more than 50 countries. Celebrating its 110th anniversary, CEMEX has a rich history of improving the well-being of those it serves through innovative building solutions, efficiency advancements, and efforts to promote a sustainable future.

  • Legal
  • Site Map
  • Careers
  • © 2019 CEMEX S.A.B. de C.V.