IN Brief:
- Cemex is supplying Vertua Supremo cement for TM Tower in Benidorm.
- The 64-storey residential tower is expected to rise more than 200 metres.
- The cement will be used in the structure and foundations, with coastal durability a key requirement.
Cemex is supplying Vertua Supremo lower-carbon cement for TM Tower in Benidorm, Spain, a 64-storey residential skyscraper expected to become one of Europe’s tallest residential buildings.
The tower is planned to rise more than 200 metres and will include 260 residences, alongside shared amenities and wellness spaces. Construction is expected to complete in 2028. Cemex is supplying cement for the structure and foundations, with the product specified for strength, durability, resource efficiency, and performance in coastal conditions.
Benidorm’s established high-rise skyline gives the project a clear urban context, but the technical demands remain substantial. The Mediterranean coastal setting places particular emphasis on concrete and cement durability, including performance under marine exposure, wind loads, reinforcement protection, and long-term maintenance requirements.
Using lower-carbon cement on a prominent high-rise is significant because tall buildings leave little room for uncertainty in structural materials. Foundation and frame packages require consistent quality, predictable strength development, supply reliability, and confidence from designers, contractors, and insurers. Lower-carbon alternatives have to meet those requirements while reducing embodied carbon.
Cemex’s Vertua range forms part of the company’s wider effort to reduce the carbon impact of cement and concrete products. In high-rise construction, the structural frame can represent a large share of embodied emissions, making binder choice, mix design, and clinker reduction central to the carbon profile of the building.
The Benidorm project sits alongside a wider move from lower-carbon material trials towards live construction use. In the UK, carbon-negative asphalt has already been used at Murphy’s Golborne hub, reflecting a broader shift as contractors and suppliers test lower-carbon specifications across both buildings and external works.
For design teams, the challenge is moving from product availability to specification confidence. Clients need evidence that lower-carbon materials can support project performance targets, while structural engineers need assurance on strength, durability, curing behaviour, and long-term reliability. Contractors need predictable placing performance and a supply chain capable of supporting the programme.
High-rise residential construction makes those requirements more demanding. A 64-storey tower requires consistency across long pour sequences, coordination between concrete supply and programme, and close quality control throughout the structural frame. Coastal exposure adds further scrutiny around chloride ingress, reinforcement durability, and maintenance planning over the life of the building.
The project also reflects the changing role of materials suppliers. Cement and concrete producers are under pressure to decarbonise some of the most carbon-intensive products in the built environment while continuing to support large construction programmes. Supplying lower-carbon cement to a landmark tower gives manufacturers a full-scale reference point, but it also exposes the product to real site conditions, weather, logistics, programme pressure, and quality control requirements.
Developers increasingly want material choices that support environmental targets without compromising buildability. The stronger commercial case for lower-carbon cement will come when it can be integrated into standard procurement and design review rather than treated as a special case. Projects such as TM Tower help build that evidence base because they test the product in a demanding structural application rather than a limited pilot.
The scheme also shows how southern Europe’s high-rise residential market can contribute to the material decarbonisation debate. Benidorm’s vertical model differs from many UK urban housing markets, but the technical questions are shared: how to build taller, reduce embodied carbon, manage tight footprints, and deliver durable structures in exposed locations.
As embodied carbon moves further into planning policy, client requirements, finance, and investor scrutiny, structural material choices will carry increasing commercial weight. TM Tower will not settle every question around lower-carbon cement in high-rise construction, but it gives the market another full-scale project from which to judge performance, supply, and confidence in use.
