Creative Use of Precast Award
INSIGHT
Creative Use of Precast Award
Every company has a defining moment; a project or experience that changes the way it sees the future.
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PUBLISHED
July 13, 2026
Resource Centre
Every company has a defining moment; a project or experience that changes the way it sees the future.
From an Award-Winning Culvert to a New Vision for Sustainable Construction
For Lodestar Structures, that moment can be traced back to 2014, when Anchor Concrete Products received the First Place Award for Creative Use of Precast Concrete from the National Precast Concrete Association (NPCA) in the Underground category.
The award recognized an innovative supersized precast concrete box culvert constructed as part of Ontario’s Highway 407 expansion.
Requiring approximately 2,700 tonnes of concrete, the structure was engineered to support highway traffic while providing a dedicated passage for wildlife beneath the roadway.
At the time, the project represented a remarkable achievement in precast concrete engineering. However, it also became the catalyst for a much larger conversation.
A Different Way of Thinking
Around the same period, Lodestar CEO Jeff Bradfield was introduced to Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by William McDonough and Michael Braungart. The book challenged many conventional ideas about manufacturing, sustainability, and resource use.
Are we using our materials in the most meaningful and responsible way possible?
Reflecting on the award-winning culvert project through this new perspective led to an important realization. While the structure fulfilled its engineering objectives, the amount of concrete required prompted a broader discussion about how construction materials could create even greater long-term value for society.
Redefining Sustainability
This shift in thinking inspired a reassessment of Anchor Concrete’s product portfolio. Over time, several product lines were gradually divested as the company’s vision of sustainability evolved.
Rather than viewing sustainability solely through the lens of environmental performance, the focus expanded to include the efficient use of materials, long-term durability, social impact, and the ability of construction to address real community needs.
These principles would eventually become the foundation for
Lodestar Structures.
Looking at Concrete Differently
Today, that same quantity of concrete tells a different story.
Approximately 2,700 tonnes of concrete; once used for a single infrastructure project, could now be used within Lodestar’s structural system to construct well over 100 affordable, durable, climate-resilient homes, providing housing for approximately 400 to 500 people.
The concrete hasn’t changed. What has changed is how we choose to use it.
Building for People
Communities across North America continue to face growing housing shortages, increasing construction costs, and the need for more resilient infrastructure. These challenges require more than innovative products; they require a different way of thinking about how resources are used.
At Lodestar Structures, every project begins with a simple question:
How can the same materials create the greatest possible benefit for people and communities?
That philosophy continues to guide the company’s approach to affordable housing, climate resilience, and sustainable construction. Because ultimately, meaningful innovation is not defined only by what we build; but by why we build it.
Building Better Starts with Better Thinking
Discover how the Lodestar Structural System is helping communities build affordable, climate-resilient housing with greater efficiency and long-term value.
Explore Lodestar Systems →
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