Sustainable solutionsthat won’t cost the earth

Aggregate Industries UK Ltd, Bardon Hill, Coalville, Leicestershire LE67 1TL

email sustainable@aggregate.com

An AGGREGATE INDUSTRIES company

CONCRETE SUSTAINABILITYADDRESSING THE CHALLENGE OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

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FEBRUARY 13 2007

Photo: Klemens Ortmeyer

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Keep the minimalistinterior withoutwrecking the planetDesigning and constructing more energy efficient buildings with greenermaterials and strategies is hardly a luxury it is a necessity argues HanifKara partner at structural engineers Adams Kara Taylor.

Many Architects and engineers are not reallyvery good at sustainable developments, we arenot very green in the way we think, certainlynot as green as we could be, its not a culture wehave grown up with or allowed to develop inrecent history.

Which could be disastrous for the planet,given that between 40 to 50 per cent of CO2emissions in the UK are given off by buildingswhile they are in use.

But it is possible to be more responsible andfor the professions to drive the agenda morewith clients, both in the private and public sec-tors.

To make a difference contemporary architec-ture will have develop green aesthetics, per-haps more opaque and less transparent build-ings. There needs to be some unlearning bysome who are set in their ways among both thedesigners and those developing new buildings.

But this has to be done in a holistic wayincorporating environmental, economic andsocial principles.

I would argue that traditionally most of thekey innovations in construction have beenpioneered in the public sector with the privatefollowing and in large part this is because ofthe enshrined rules and regulations in the pub-lic sector.

With some exceptions commercial develop-ers are reluctant to innovate because of risks;commercial constraints lead to a more innateconservatism in this sector than is the case inmost branches of manufacturing. The privatesector has to be incentivised by policy, rulesand regulations on this matter otherwise theywill simply stop building.

Having said that there are moments when itis possible for individual building projects tograb attention and have a profound influenceon the future direction of building design overhuge areas of the economy.

The building of schools, the construction ofthe Olympic complex or of hospitals over thenext decade present the sector with a greatopportunity to raise the bar on sustainabledevelopment.

And the key message has to be that new andbetter buildings are ones that use less energy,and only the architects can protect the qualita-tive aspects of this.

It is a lesson that has already been taken onboard by the mayor of London who has set new

targets for all to achieve; the metropolitanauthorities have consequently done a greatdeal to get the commercial sector to thinkabout sustainable issues by making their inclu-sion in schemes a key element in the grantingof planning permission.

Even so there have been aesthetic disastersperpetrated partly in the name of sustainabili-ty. As the Royal Institute of British Architectshas pointed out, some of the early hospitalsbuilt by this Government under the PPP andPFI schemes are a case in point.

But it is possible to produce light, airy, pleas-ant to use buildings inside all of the budgetconstraints that plague schemes in contempo-rary Britain.

The new headquarters building built by TheNational Trust in Swindon by Feilden CleggBradley is a case in point.

It reinvents the way the one or two storeycommercial office functions firstly by orientat-ing it to take full advantage of the climate.Then by the inclusion of courtyards inside theshed structure to make natural lighting andventilation possible.

The chrome and sleek wood are mostlysourced locally and create a sense of tranquilli-ty and order. The building shape melds withthose of the industrial Brunel facades in thisVictorian railway setting.

� Hanif Kara partner at structural engineersAdams Kara Taylor

Unusually for a modern industrial shed, theceilings are of concrete to cool the structure. Itis the opposite of the usual design processwhere if there is a bit of spare cash left at theend of a project then it is splashed on a bit ofart and a few green agenda decorations. Heresustainability was at the heart of the projectand clients brief. It would not take much of achange for all such offices to incorporate manyof the ideas on display.

Architecture is after all about aesthetics aswell as functionality; people will not want touse buildings if they do not like them.

Which is why architects and engineers havea responsibility to wean their clients away fortheir fondness for glass envelopes of buildings,supported on spider-like steel frames by pro-ducing a new architecture starting with theway we are both educated.

ModernistGlass might be an icon of modernist designbut once built all such buildings guzzle hugeamounts of fuel in air conditioning. The moreopaque the building the less energy it requiresto function provided the right balance of lightis included, which is why concrete is potential-ly such a valuable sustainable material.

Technical advances could make it greenerstill. The cement mix can be altered with theaddition of pulverized fuel ash a by product ofpower stations, aggregates can be recycledand reused.

Fibre reinforced concrete can be used asreinforcing materials. We are simply notspending enough on research and develop-ment. And the tax system can and should beused to drive these developments forward.

Already people are starting to ask greenerquestions about how their buildings function.In the future hopefully it will become easier forarchitects and engineers to take account of thisand more importantly to convince their clients.

CONTENTS

Zaha meets the Beetles 3

Alternative fuels and exotic ingredients 4

The ‘rustbucket’ has a new brain 6

Imagine a world where… 6

Kentish latter day scholars 7

The example set by a modernist master 9

Concrete Events 9

Blowing hot and cold on sustainable design 10

Sitting pretty in Jubilee Street 12

Rock solid 12

Resurrection of The Lea Valley 14

A spurt of speed in the waste marathon 14

Sweeping problems under the carpet 15

The cement that eats CO2 16

The industry perspective 17

A building material through the ages 18

Rammed earth and power station clinker 19

The Concrete Centre, as the market developmentorganisation for the UK concrete industry, aims to

provide a reservoir and conduit of concrete knowl-edge and expertise. As such it is able to provideadvice on the potential sustainability benefits ofconcrete construction. Through a programme ofactivities that includes briefings and seminars, pub-lications, free national helpline, education andtraining, The Concrete Centre is able to advise onconcrete sustainability concerning new innovations,best practice, and case studies of examples of howthe built environment can work with, not against,the environment.

For further information on concrete sustain-ability contact The Concrete Centre on tel:

0700 4 500 500 or visit: www.concretecentre.com

CONCRETE SUSTAINABILITY A TITLE FROM MEDIAPLANET

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� The new headquarters building built by TheNational Trust in Swindon

FACILITATED BY

BioRegional Development Group is a visionary envi-ronmental organisation,dedicated to developingpractical solutions for sustainable living. We aredemonstrating that it is possible to significantlyreduce our eco-footprint in areas such as woodproducts, paper, textiles, food and housing to a sus-tainable level and maintain a high quality of life.

London Sustainability Exchange (LSx) aims to accel-erate the transition to a sustainable London by con-necting and motivating people. We work in partner-ship with business, government and the voluntaryand community sector to overcome barriers to asustainable London. Projects include 'greening'London's food and drink sector, and actively sup-porting the delivery of a sustainable legacy for the2012 Olympic s. www.wlsx.org.uk

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British architect Zaha Hadid's sci-ence centre in Wolfsburg, Ger-

man was unveiled at the end of 2005to a chorus of critical acclaim. It is aconcrete and steel vortex of a build-

ing which one critic described as “aplace to go and feel raw space suck-ing you into the void, whirling youdown in tumbling spirals. It's some-where you go to experience theoperatic power of space”.

For Hadid, long the world's best-known unbuilt architect, it was a tri-umph. Although based in Londonfor 25 years she had huge troublegetting a building built in Britain atall although there is one buildingnow, a small cancer centre in Fife,opened almost furtively by GordonBrown before Christmas.

But the Wolfsberg project is on amuch grander canvas.

“ The visitor is facedwith a degree of com-plexity and strangeness,which is ruled by a veryspecific system of struc-tural organisation ”

Hadid's building sits at the centreof Wolfsburg, where a railway andcanal cut the town in two. To one

side is an industrial car-productioncity. To the other is the prim townbuilt to house the workers.

It was designed to be a majorattraction, one that would bring vis-itors and life to the town.

The building stands on fat con-crete legs, leaving the groundbeneath it as an open public spacebetween the two halves of the town.

The legs, unstable by themselves,are locked in place by the weight ofthe building which they support.They allow for space to bubble andblister, creating double-heightrooms and turning floors into walls.Soaring across the whole is therazor-sharp steel structure of theroof, which contrasts with the sanddune-like organic forms below.

At the Phaeno Centre, Hadid wasable to indulge her fascination withbuildings as artificial landscapes,dipping, sliding, sometimes evenerupting, while creating a civicstructure that sat with surprisingcivility within the city.

She explains the building herselfas a place where “the visitor is facedwith a degree of complexity andstrangeness, which is ruled by a veryspecific system of structural organi-sation.”

She continues: “In simple terms,the building consists of a basementcar park out of which rise 10 rein-forced concrete 'cones', flaring outto support the main exhibitionspace, two storeys above. Each coneis of a different geometric shape, andthey all change shape as they rise.Four of the cones continue throughthe exhibition concourse to supportthe steelframed, metal-clad roof.”

Zaha meets the BeetlesZaha Hadid's first signature building in Volkswagen'shometown was designed to be mind-blowing – and it certainly succeeds in ways nobody could have predicted.

� Phaeno Science Centre Wolfsburg,Germany

CEMEX is a global building solutionscompany and leading supplier ofaggregates, cement and ready-mixedconcrete.The company is dedicated tobuilding a better future and couplesfinancial achievements with a firmcommitment to the Government’swider social, environmental andeconomic objectives for sustainablecommunities.

A more sustainable cementThe new grinding and blending facilityat Tilbury, which represents a £27million investment is an example ofCEMEX’s agenda being put intopractice.The company is investing inthe UK’s future built environment,while at the same time re-usingmaterials to produce blended cementand reducing emissions in the process.

The primary product manufacturedon site will be CEM3 - a blend oftraditional cement and slag - which issuitable for all types of concreteapplications, including housing,hospitals, schools and roads. CEM3gives improved workability inunhardened concrete and improvesthe long-term durability of concretestructures particularly those that aresubjected to aggressive environments.

The new Tilbury facility will be wellplaced to help meet demand for thecement required for newdevelopments in the region and thesustainable construction challenges ofthe London 2012 Olympic Games.

Based on the reduced clinkercontent, emissions of CO2 arereduced by 50 per cent for eachtonne of blended cement produced.At Tilbury, this would result in a savingof 600,000 tonnes per annum, theequivalent to the annual CO2emissions of more than 240,000 cars.

The benefits of CEM3 will becomplemented by CEMEX’sextensive network of London wharfsand depots, connected by a system ofriver and rail transport to fur therminimise emissions and relieve thepressure on congested roads.

The new 1.2 million tonne facility,which has been welcomed byThurrock Council and comes onstream in 2008, also marks a step-change in the industry by producingCEM3 in purpose-built, factory-controlled conditions in line with theGovernment’s Modern Methods ofConstruction agenda. ModernMethods of Construction is a broadcategory that embraces a variety of

build approaches, including off-sitemanufacturing. Producing CEM3 atTilbury will ensure quality control andproduct consistency, as well as safetyfor a permanent and well trainedwork force. Additional benefits arelikely to include increased productivityand reductions in energy use andmaterials wastage.

A holistic approachSustainability, however, does not beginand end with finished products, suchas CEM3. CEMEX UK is working tomake sustainability part of thecompany culture.

This includes measuring andcontrolling impacts, product andservices innovation, efficiencyimprovements, community engage-ment around sites and after use ofquarried land, and open dialogue withsite neighbours, partners, customersand regulators regarding newdevelopments. In practice, thistranslates into a number of award-winning restoration achievements andthe engagement of employees tointegrate good practices, such asrecycling. It also includes a focus onout-of-hours deliveries andtransportation by sea, river, rail andunderground pipelines, to minimiseroad haulage and ease pressure oncongested roads, and the re-use ofmaterials where possible. In 2006 thecompany increased its use of recycledasphalt by 86 per cent.

Building products are essential fordevelopment, quality of life and thecreation of communities. Last yearCEMEX UK invested £30 million insustainability-related projects, toensure that high-quality products andservices are provided as efficiently, costeffectively and sustainably as possible.But while the company is making goodprogress in terms of commitment,investment, and performanceimprovements, the journey continuesto ensure long-term business success

through the proactive management ofenvironmental, social and economicissues.

For more information about CEMEX,see www.cemex.co.uk and

www.cemex.com

CEMEX gets green light for sustainable investmentCEMEX UK has received a green light for plans to constructa new grinding and blending facility for the manufacturing ofblended cements for use in concrete at the Port of Tilbury inEssex.This development marks a step change in the Britishcement and concrete industries.

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With fuel representing some 35 percent of variable costs of cementmanufacture, nobody could accusethe makers of not exploring everypossible alternative to power theirfurnaces.

Over the past ten years they haveused tyres, recycled liquids, plasticpackaging wastes, animal productsin the form of tallow, meat andbone meal and even sewage sludgepellets.Some have been more suc-cessful than others, currently theindustry burns about 50 per cent ofthe used solvents in the UK; 10 percent of packaging waste and has thecapacity to handle about 50 per centof waste tyres.

By extracting energy from thesewastes, it lifts them up what isknown as the “waste hierarchy”, andsignificantly reduces the volumesgoing to landfill.

The UK cement manufacturers havesigned a Climate Change Levy Agree-ment with Government. To date, theindustry has achieved a 25 per centimprovement in its energy efficiencysince 1990, and it is on track to deliv-er its targeted improvement of 26.6per cent by the year 2010.

This target goes beyond the Gov-ernment’s own target of 20 per centand the 12.5 per cent agreed in 1997under the Kyoto protocol.

Achievement of this targetdepends on investment in new andupgraded plant coupled withincreased use of alternative fuels.

Sustainability – the concept ofsatisfying today’s needs withoutcompromising the choices of future

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generations is one of the big issuesfor industry globally.

Britain’s four cement manufactur-ers produce around 12 milliontonnes of cement each year fromtheir network of 15 plants. A further1.5 million tonnes is imported.

The initiative seems to be work-ing. Carbon dioxide emissionsdecreased by 28 per cent or over 3.7million tonnes, around a milliontonnes of waste is used annually andthe use of fossil fuels has reduced by22 per cent, according to a reportpublished by The British CementAssociation.

The report details further progressin the industry’s contribution to theUK sustainable development agen-da. It has met new environmentalimprovement targets agreed with theindustry’s regulator, the Environ-ment Agency.

Given that it draws its essentialraw materials from the ground,cement tends to be an industry ofthe countryside. The sheer scale ofthe manufacturing operation neces-sitates large plants, which, even withlandscaping, are usually prominentwithin the local scene. The industryis, however, also a prominent con-tributor to local and regionaleconomies and supports many jobsin rural areas where employment isoften scarce.

To make it you take a mixture offinely ground limestone or chalk addclay and sand and heat it almost tomelting point in a large rotatingkiln. The cement clinker thatemerges is then ground to a powder

with about five per cent gypsum,added to control the setting time ofthe end product. The manufacturingprocess depends on the moisturecontent of the raw materials. Chalkhas a high moisture content andchalk-based processes tend to be lessenergy efficient than those based onhard limestone.

Mineral-based industries likecement face particular challengesbecause, in satisfying the needs thatwe as individuals generate, theyconsume abundant reserves of rawmaterials. Cement making alsonecessitates the burning of fossilfuels which, with the raw materialsthemselves, then create emissions tothe atmosphere.

Internationally, the cement indus-try is taking a lead in addressing thisthrough its agenda for action andalso through its commitment torestoration of former operating sites.

The UK cement industry set up aSustainable Development Task Forceto demonstrate its continuallyimproving performance and furtherits reputation as a sound, sustain-able and transparent industry.

At the same time, cement makes amassive contribution to sustainingthe quality of life. Without the con-crete and mortar we make from it,we would have no homes, schools orhospitals. There would be no roadsfor our vehicles, no runways for ouraircraft and no reservoirs to storeour water. It also sustains people bycreating many thousands of jobs.

Agenda for actionThe cement industry has taken a leadworldwide in tackling the sustain-ability challenge.

Through the World BusinessCouncil for Sustainable Develop-ment, 10 industry leaders developedThe Cement Sustainability Initiative.

With Lafarge, Heidelberg Cement(parent of Castle Cement) and CemexUK Cement all involved, and BLIagreeing to implement the actionprogramme, the UK industry is fullycommitted to delivering its aims andobjectives.

The industry spent $4 million toexamine the issues it faces globallyover the next 20 years. This is one sus-tainability initiative that is based notjust on words but on action, because itincludes a programme of work, someinvolving individual actions and somepartnership projects.

Reducing raw materialsThe industry has already reduced theuse of virgin raw materials by usingby-products from other industries inthe cement-making recipe.

For example, pulverized fuel ashfrom power generation is widelyused today. Waste streams contain-ing high percentages of iron, alum-na, calcium or silica may be used toreplace the limestone and clay usu-ally used in cement production. Thisavoids bulk waste materials going tolandfill.

Land-use and restorationModernisation and rationalizationhave led to a significant reduction inthe number of factories and quarriesoperating in the UK cement industry.In 1990 there were 23 factories,today there are 15. Progressiverestoration of quarried land reducesthe amount of land under extractionat any one time and the industryplants some thousands of indige-nous trees and shrubs every year.

The cement sustainability initia-tive, developed through the WorldBusiness Council for SustainableDevelopment, is built on eight keyaims.

Climate protection Implement anindustry protocol for monitoringand reporting CO2 emissions - eachcompany to set reduction targets.

Fuels and raw materials Developguidelines for responsible use of

all fuels and raw materials incement kilns.

Employee health and safety Taskforce to ensure effective systems tocontrol health and safety perform-ance and companies to share experi-ence to reduce accidents.

Emissions reduction Develop indus-try protocol for measuring, monitor-ing and reporting emissions - com-panies to publicly report emissionstargets.

Local impactsCreate guidelines for economic andsocial impact assessment by cementcompanies.

Internal business Integrate sustain-able development principles intomanagement systems and into rela-tionships with business partners andsociety generally.

Invitation Bring other cement com-panies into the initiative and engagewith third party stakeholders.

Reporting progress A firstprogress report was released inJune 2005 and a full report isscheduled for 2007. Individualcompanies continue to report theirown progress.

Alternative fuels and unusualingredients lower emissionsMaking the key constituents of concrete involves heatingminerals to massively high temperatures but the industryhas been trying to clean up its act and is experimentingwith some surprising materials few would have imagined.

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� Projected CO2 Emissions from the global cement industry until 2050 assuming nochange in current practices

� Manufacturing cement is an energy intensive process. Using energy from fossilfuels such as oil and coal creates carbon dioxide (CO2) – the most important Green-house Gas causing climate change, and the chemical process of making clinker - themain component of most types of cement also produces CO2. Together these two fac-tors mean that the cement industry produces 5 per cent of global man-made CO2emissions. Governments across the world are considering imposing taxes on industryenergy use and GHG emissions. The Cement Industry for its part is attempting toreduce carbon dioxide emissions between 1990 and 2010 though the modernisationof its production facilities in order to guarantee the highest possible efficiency of thecement production; wherever possible replacing clinker in cement with other materi-als and finally replacing the fossil fuels with other forms of fuel.

PROMOTING CLIMATE PROTECTION

LAFARGE CEMENT

Lafarge Cement’s Cauldon works in Staffordshire completed in September 2003the first UK trial using processed sewage pellets as a kiln fuel. The pellets aremade from the sludge that remains after sewage treatment, which is furtherheat-treated, making it as safe as garden soil. The pellets replace some of thefossil fuels in the works’ current energy mix of coal, petroleum coke and tyrechips. Over 2,000 hours of data on the works environmental performance wasgathered during the trial, which was authorised by the Environment Agency.

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Positive Impact“As a building material in the broadestsense, concrete has a wide variety ofapplications, therefore its sustainabilitymust extend beyond the physicalproperties of the product itself to theimpact it has on the world around us.By devising imaginative building solu-tions that use this established product,we can reduce the impact we, as a col-lective community, have on the envi-ronment.

Take just one example, such as theneed for more housing. Over the nextdecade, the Government estimatesthat we will need to build around200,000 new residential propertiesevery year.To meet this target, we willhave to use land more efficiently andbuild high quality, thermally efficient,homes.This is where products such asour blocks range have a big role to play.

People may think of concrete blocksas old fashioned, but the fact is thatthey are one of the ultimate sustain-able building materials. They aredurable – capable of lasting hundredsof years – and have high thermal massproperties, which means that block-built houses retain heat (and cool)much better than timber and steelframe alternatives. In fact, using con-crete as a building material can reduceenergy consumption in commercialand residential properties by as muchas 50 per cent.

Concrete also has great sound-proofing qualities - a big plus whenwe’re likely to be living in much closerproximity to our neighbours in yearsto come. It’s also very safe.Concrete isnon-combustible, and its thermal massmeans that in the event of a fire it canabsorb heat, thus acting as a fire barri-er and giving people vital extra min-utes to evacuate.

Projects like the Olympics, as well asongoing investment in transport net-works, leisure, school and healthamenities, means that demand forconcrete-based products will contin-ue to grow – so you can see why weplace an emphasis on developingproducts with strong sustainable cre-dentials.

Concrete in actionWhere concrete really proves itself isin the benefits it brings to structuralapplications. The fact is that 44 percent of carbon emissions in the UKcome from buildings, so we’re helpingto reduce this statistic by designingsustainable concrete products that canbe incorporated into all kinds of con-struction projects.

A good example of this is our newthermally efficient flooring solutioncalled Heatsave Plus. Dense expandedpolystyrene panels (EPS) are fittedbetween concrete beams to offer out-standing insulation properties. Heat-save Plus removes the need for addi-tional insulation between floors, soheating systems can be turned down,saving on fuel costs and reducing car-bon emissions.

As a nation, we can’t ignore the factthat our climate is changing. Averagetemperatures are increasing, and therewill be a growing need to controlinternal building temperatures.Whichis where concrete and its high thermalmass come into play.

Traditionally, energy-intensive sys-tems like air conditioning have beenused to control ambient tempera-tures, but changes to Building Regula-tions, increasing energy prices and cli-mate change are making architects,developers and building occupiersreconsider their options.

We have pioneered a heating, cool-ing and fresh air ventilation systemcalled TermoDeck as a sustainable andcost-effective alternative. It’s a high techsolution that uses a simple principle.

TermoDeck harnesses concrete’s nat-urally high thermal mass properties (alsoknown as Fabric Energy Storage,or FES)and combines it with the principal of‘night cooling’ to maintain stable, com-fortable building temperatures.TermoD-eck uses concrete hollowcore flooringpanels to absorb and store heat generat-ed during the day. Fresh air is passedthrough these hollowcore units at lowvelocities,allowing heat transfer betweenthe concrete and air. Essentially, the con-crete acts as a passive heat exchange ele-ment that transfers heat to - or absorbsheat from - the air, depending onwhether heating or cooling of a room isrequired.Night cooling purges the accu-mulated hot air and heat from the slabs,preparing them for the next day.

The TermoDeck system also circu-lates this fresh air into rooms througha network of vents, which is especiallyimportant for buildings like schools,universities and offices,where high lev-els of concentration are required.

Thermocast is another heating andcooling system we offer that uses thesame principles as TermoDeck,but thistime the hollowcore concrete panelsare laced with an internal matrix ofpolybutylene pipes. Water is passedthrough these pipes to maximise thethermal mass performance.

Responsible recyclingA key part of reducing our impact onthe environment involves increased useof recycled concrete in manufacture.

We always endeavour to considerthe possibilities for recycling at everystage of manufacturing as well aspost-use. Our aircrete blocks are100% recyclable and can use up to97% reclaimed material in their manu-facture.

Tarmac Topblock is also trialling anew waste ‘take-back’ scheme fordamaged or off-cut blocks, which arereturned to us from building sites andrecycled into new products, ratherthan being sent to landfill.

In addition, we have a unique recy-cling service within Tarmac, whichenables us to re-use concrete materialfrom demolition sites, buildings androads, motorway bridges and airports,and recycle it as aggregate for otherapplications. In total,Tarmac recyclesapproximately 200,000 tonnes of con-crete every year.We even recycle con-crete railway sleepers – that’s around5,000 tonnes every year.

We use this recycling expertise whenworking on projects for clients. Forexample, for BAA at Heathrow Airport,we resurfaced the runway around Ter-minal 5,and used about 150,000 tonnesof concrete from the old runway in theconstruction of the new airstrip – some

went into creating a sub-base layer, andsome into new concrete.

Sustainability in practiceAs you can see,we are leading the wayin proving that concrete is one of themost flexible and versatile construc-tion products available, and can usedfor virtually any application. No othermaterial has the same adaptability,durability and in-built safety. Certainlyat Tarmac, a division of the globally suc-

cessful Anglo-American group, wethink concrete is the ultimate sustain-able material and will continue to takeit in new directions.This is paving theway for a new generation of construc-tion products that make concrete sus-tainability a reality.”

For more information on Tarmac’ssustainable products, visit

www.tarmac.co.uk/sustainability or call08456 044 114

Concrete in a sustainable worldSustainability is possibly not the first word that springs tomind when you think about concrete.But put thoughts of grey1970’s tower blocks aside, because concrete today is the ulti-mate modern,versatile and sustainable building material.Tarmac - one of the UK’s largest suppliers of concrete buildingmaterials - has harnessed the integral properties of concrete,such as high thermal mass, strength, recyclability and durabil-ity, to create building products that play a key role in deliver-ing a more sustainable future for communities and the envi-ronment.

By Jim Troy, director of concrete and mortar technologies at Tarmac.

� Selfridges in Birmingham used Tarmac Hemelite blocks

� The Central Library, Brighton usedTarmac’s TermoDeck system

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The distinctive cranial form of thenew library has already earned it thenickname – ‘The Berlin Brain’.

Its four floors are contained with-in a striking curved translucentenclosure that creates a dramaticdiffusion of daylight and is naturallyventilated for 60 percent of the year.

It is designed to consume 35 per-cent less energy than a comparablescheme, the building has a double-layered skin that creates even anddiffuse daylight conditions anddirects air through a series of open-ings in the diaphanous enclosure,enabling natural ventilation.

Water pipes are embedded in achilled concrete interior structureand act as thermal stores to heat andcool the re-circulated air, regulatingthe interior temperature, and leadingto substantial energy savings.

Housing the combined former col-lections of 11 separate libraries, theFaculty of Philology Library occu-pies a site created by uniting six ofthe University’s courtyards. Clad inaluminium and glazed panels, thebuilding is organised on a radialgeometry. An inner fabric mem-brane of glass fibre filters the day-light and creates an atmosphere ofconcentration, while scattered trans-parent openings allow momentaryviews of the sky and glimpses ofsunlight.

The book stacks are located at thecentre of each floor, with readingdesks arranged around the perime-ter. The serpentine profile of thefloors increases capacity for thereading desks and creates an edgepattern in which each floor swells orrecedes with respect to the oneabove or below it, generating asequence of generous, light-filleddouble-height spaces in which towork.

The University’s mat-like campuswas designed by Candilis Josic

Woods Schiedhelm. The facade wasdesigned designed in collaborationwith Jean Prouvé, following Le Cor-busier’s ‘Modulor’ proportional sys-tem. It was fabricated from Cortensteel, which when used in appropri-ate thicknesses, has selfprotectingcorrosive characteristics.

“ Water pipes areembedded in a chilledconcrete interior struc-ture and act as thermalstores to heat and coolthe re-circulated air,regulating the interiortemperature, and lead-ing to substantial energysavings ”The rusty appearance of thesebuildings led to the nickname of ‘dieRostlaube’ - the ‘rust-bucket’ as thesteel was prone to decay. As part of acomprehensive process of renewalthe old cladding has been replacedwith a new system detailed inbronze, which – as it patinates natu-rally with age - emulates the detailsand colour tones of the original.

Foster and Partners’ redevelop-ment of the campus has alsoinvolved a comprehensive process ofplanning and reorganisation. Manyof the original colour schemes havebeen restored in the fit-out, to theextent that the carpets came fromthe original suppliers. As Lord Fosternoted, the structural system provedso flexible that much of the remain-ing structure from the reorganisa-tion could be demounted andreerected in different locations. Thisproved that “the original design ofthe Free University was, in manyways, years ahead of its time - aninspiration that we drew from as wedesigned the new library to be a for-ward-thinking exemplar of environ-mental building.”

The ‘rustbucket’hasa new brain with aconcrete bottomFoster and Partners’ scheme to redevelop one of Germany’s most important academic institutions, The Free University’s Faculty of Philology includes the faithfulrestoration of the university’s iconic Modernist buildings in addition to the design of anew campus library which uses the thermal mass of the floor to heat and cool the dome.

� The new library is designed to con-sume 35 per cent less energy than acomparable scheme

Imagine a world where…Cement is used so widely that it is difficult to imagine aworld without it. It is a key element of modern construc-tion, from our homes, through to schools, hospitals, offices,roads, railways and airports. We also rely on it for buildingreservoirs for our water and for other vital utilities.

The manufacturing process dependson the moisture content of the rawmaterials. Chalk has a high moisturecontent and chalk-based processestend to be less energy efficient thanthose based on hard limestone.

Fundamental ingredientCement is the fundamental ingredi-ent needed to produce concrete,which is essential to our built envi-ronment. The benefits of concrete inconstruction include structures thatare durable, inherently fire resistantand provide good acoustic separa-tion. Its thermal mass propertieshave an important role to play in

future climate change control byhelping to provide good, naturallycomfortable living and workingenvironments. Examples of the keyrole that cement plays in construc-tion make a long list which includes:the Cribbs Causeway, one of thecountry’s largest shopping malls onthe outskirts of Bristol, wherecement was essential not only forthe two storey mall itself but also forthe 7000 capacity car park and busstation. Another example is theGherkin, one of the most distinctivebuildings on the London skyline,The Channel Tunnel Rail link, andHeathrow Terminal Five.

The industry also contributes toovercoming some of the country'swaste management problems by put-ting waste materials to productive useas alternative raw materials and fuels.These have included used tyres, recy-cled liquid fuels, plastic packagingwastes, animal products (tallow andmeat and bone meal) and sewagesludge pellets.

“ UK cement manu-facturers have signed aClimate Change LevyAgreement ”

This in turns contributes to its abilityto meet 90 per cent of the country'scement needs from sustainable produc-tion, minimising the need to importcement and avoiding exporting theenvironmental consequences of themanufacturing process.

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� Concrete can be both practical and beautiful

AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT FROM MEDIAPLANET ABOUT CONCRETE,DISTRIBUTED IN THE TIMES 7

The new 1,700 square metre self-contained school now houses over150 pupils and six classrooms in aninterlinked three and two single

story building development that alsoincorporates a covered courtyardand specially constructed ‘bubble’style roof.

Special featuresDesigned by Surrey-based consul-tancy Brodie Plant Goddard, thebuilding’s skeleton is constructedusing over 2,200 square metres ofaircrete Toplite blocks from TarmacTopblock. With a number of specialfeatures incorporated into the over-all structure of the building, thecomplex and eco-friendly designnot only utilised blocks in the con-

struction of the walls, floors andceilings in the main buildings, theywere also used in the construction ofa special cooling tower in the centreof the courtyard.

Practical needsThe architects main areas of focuswere to design a complex that deliv-ered all of the practical needs of aschool, whilst creating an inspira-tional environment for learning. Thesecond, and arguably the most impor-tant factor, was to design a buildingthat could be constructed in just 12months, to be operational for theintake of students in September 2006.Consequently they chose to build theschool using blockwork. From a prac-tical sense, walls and therefore build-ings could be constructed swiftly, cre-ating an overall building skeleton injust a few of months, therefore leav-ing more time for the more complexareas of the design.”

UniqueBarwick Construction was awardedthe design and build project inAugust 2005. Construction sitemanager, Trevor Ellingham said:“The design of the school was bothunique and challenging from a con-struction perspective, particularly inrelation to the large cooling towerthat formed the centre piece of thecomplex. At the product specifica-tion stage, the use of Toplite blocksto construct the tower was not con-

sidered, however, due to our experi-ence of block construction, we wereable to prove that the strength, han-dling benefits and lightweight con-struction of aircrete blocks, wereperfect for the task at hand.”

By being able to cut and shapethe 100mm Toplite blocks to therequired sizes using simple handtools, they were able to reduce theoverall cost of the construction,while ensuring the tight specifica-tions, design and functionality ofthe tower were not changed.

“ The use of sedumroofing materialimproves the environ-mental performance ofthe whole building,adding to the eco-friendly design ofthe 24,750 square footschool complex ”

Similarly, when constructing theroof segments for the single storyblocks, they were able to use light-weight aircrete blocks in betweenthe beams, laying the sedum roofingmaterial directly on top of them. Theuse of sedum roofing materialimproves the environmental per-formance of the whole building,adding to the eco-friendly design ofthe 24,750 square foot school com-plex, as the sedum material absorbswater, emitting oxygen as it grows.”

Centre of excellenceCommenting on the new middleschool, headmaster, Revd. MarkAitken said: “Since we were foundedas a charitable foundation in 1879,our success and the demand forplaces at St Lawrence has continuedto grow. By making this investmentinto a new middle school we willfurther establish the college as acentre of excellence.

Kentish latter day scholarsget eco-friendly environment St Lawrence College, one of Kent’s foremost independent schools underwent a dramatic facelift with the design and build of a new £4m eco-friendlymiddle school last year

� The building incorporates a special cooling tower in the centre ofthe courtyard.

Reducing concrete’s impact on the environmentThe built environment contributes over 50 per cent of the UK’s carbon emissions. Growing evidence of climate change meansthat reducing this level of CO2 by lessening the impact of our built environment – both in terms of its construction and its use– is of increasing importance.

Concrete is the world’s most widely used construction material. As such it has a major role to play in the reduction of builtenvironment CO2. One of the ways it does this is through its inherent thermal capacity, a feature which means that concretetakes heat out of the air like a sponge. During the summer, exposed concrete surfaces will absorb heat, thus reducing internaltemperatures and the need for CO2-producing air-conditioning. During the winter, concrete will absorb heat from the sunduring the day and slowly release it at night, thus reducing demands on the CO2-producing boiler. All year round, therefore,as part of an integrated passive approach to sustainable design, concrete can reduce the energy used in buildings.

In addition, concrete has an inherent resistance to fire, rot and rust which eliminates the need for additional finishes andcoverings, many of which contain environmental pollutants. Furthermore, the material’s robustness and long-term perform-ance provides a construction solution which is able to withstand the winter floods and storms which are predicted as a resultof climate change.

By-productsAnd there is more. Concrete these days is made using the by-products of other industries as well as with recycled aggregates.It also re-carbonates both during its life and after the recycling process at end of life, which means it actually absorbs CO2from the atmosphere.

The Concrete Centre, as the market development organisation for the UK concrete industry, aims to provide a reservoir ofconcrete knowledge and expertise to designers and constructors, and is able to provide help on the potential sustainabilitybenefits of concrete construction. Through a programme of activities that includes briefings and seminars, publications, a freenational helpline, and education and training courses, The Concrete Centre can assist designers to learn about new innova-tions, best practice, and case study examples illustrating how the sustainability benefits of concrete are being used by design-ers. For further information on concrete’s sustainability credentials, contact The Concrete Centre on tel: 0700 4 500 500 orvisit: www.concretecentre.com

� Concrete is so ubiquitous it would be difficult to live without it

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SPEED, STRENGTH & SUSTAINABILITY

LEADING THE PRECAST CONCRETE INDUSTRY SINCE 1919

Everyone should consider the health of our planet and

our role within it. Those of us leading our industries

have a particular responsibility to ensure that we

are doing all we can to improve our manufacturing

processes to work in harmony with our environment.

Our pioneering factory in Swadlincote is not only the

most environmentally friendly of its type in the UK,

but also the largest.

For further information about our approach to

sustainability please email:

sustainability@bison.co.uk

www.bison.co.uk

The need for environmentally sustain-able development refers to two mainissues: firstly, finite natural resourcesare being used and discarded at a ratethat the UK cannot sustain, and sec-ondly, the emissions caused by theconsumption of these resources arecausing environmental degradationand are leading to global warming.Concrete is one of the most sustain-able building materials in terms ofboth energy consumed during manu-facture and its inherent thermal massproperties in use.The thermal capaci-ty of concrete structures can beutilised to improve the energy effi-ciency of buildings. Compared to airconditioning, active Fabric EnergyStorage (FES) reduces carbon dioxideemissions by up to 50%. Using FES toreduce or remove air conditioningalso makes good long-term financialsense, mounting to massive savingsover a buildings lifetime.

The concrete sector, as a whole, ismaking a concerted, co-ordinatedeffor t to fur ther reduce their envi-ronmental impact. Looking ahead,Precast concrete construction hasthe potential to make a positive con-tribution to the UK’s effort to reduceits CO2 emissions in the near andlonger term.

As market leader in the design andmanufacture of precast concreteproducts since 1919, Bison havemade a significant capital investmentto rebuild their asset base. The invest-ment secured their market leadingposition with their offer of the highestquality product with guaranteed leadtimes at highly competitive prices.Providing a sustainable solution toenergy consumed during the manu-

facture of concrete, £30million wentinto the development of the brandnew state of the art hollow core plantand cube facilities in Swadlincote,Derbyshire.This resulted in the mosttechnically advanced flooring plant inthe world side by side with a new wetcast cube plant to manufacture wallpanels, frame and stadia componentsto meet the needs of off-site manu-facture.

With its unique and highly produc-tive carousel process and a fully auto-mated plant from production planningto pre-loading of transport pallets,Swadlincote has set new standards ofquality, safety and efficiency for theindustry. All the detail in the productsare machine formed and all the prod-ucts are identified by embeddedtransponders that provide detaileddata throughout the life of the prod-uct. As a result of Bison’s changing andcompetitive marketplace they aredeveloping a unique service, which,using their integrated system will offer‘just-in-time’ manufacturing withapproved details downloaded elec-tronically from planning to the shopfloor, eliminating any human errors.

Not only is Bison’s Swadlincote sitethe most advanced precast factory inthe UK it is also the most sustainable;there are a number of points of inter-est that verify Bison’s commitment tosustainability at Swadlincote:

All waste and water in the factory isrecycled. A closed circuit recyclingprocess enables all wet waste from theproduction process to be automatical-ly conveyed to a central recycling plantwhere the constituent materials arereclaimed. Depending on its cementi-tious content, water is either cleaned

and used for washing, or returned tothe mix to optimise cement consump-tion. Aggregates are cleaned andadded to production stocks or trans-ferred to the on-site crushing stationwhere dry waste is recycled.

Fully automatedThe fully automated productionprocess takes only 12 hours and theefficiency results in a product thatcombines high quality and accuracywith significant economy.

Designs are produced in the com-pany’s centralised production plan-ning department and downloaded tothe factory and conveyed to themachines via a wireless link; thisprocess eliminates the printing ofdrawings, reduces human error in thetransference of data and provides

accurate guidelines to add detail toproducts such as cut-out and liftinghook locations.

Cement procurement is fully auto-mated. Load cells built into the silosallow the cement supplier to monitorusage via a secure internet link, andmake deliveries only when they arerequired. This enables the company tojust pay for the cement it uses.

Once the product is manufacturedand cut to shape it is loaded ontodelivery pallets in the sequencerequired for erection on site. Thecomplete load, weighing 30 tonnes isthen picked up by a straddle craneand put on a vehicle, locked and thensent to site, saving time and doublehandling or products.

Credit card sized plastic cards con-taining unique data stored on pro-grammable chips are glued to theproduct just before it is cut. This sys-tem provides a fail-safe approach toidentifying a specific product duringthe production process and in trans-port. It also provides long-termaccess to layout drawings and productspecification data should a change ofuse to the building be required.

Colin Richardson of Bison com-ments on their commitment to sus-tainability:“Bison’s initial capital invest-ment started in the year 2000 with anew programme that brought newtechnology to the once traditional fac-

tories. An initial £10million wasinvested in new casting beds, specialmachinery, bed cleaners, bed plottersand machinery to cast in hooks to hol-low core units. In 2001 theUddingston works opened replacingthe old Falkirk works with a state ofthe art traditional flooring plant. In2002 we added a wet cast cube facilityat our Leeds plant that provided addi-tional capacity for stair and landingmanufacture. The state of the ar tSwadlincote factory opened in 2006and is an example to the concreteindustry of increasing performancesto reduce energy consumption andenvironmental impact.

All our plants are strategically locat-ed to service the whole of the UK andthe traditional plants of Iver, Leeds andUddingston provide a regionallyfocussed service. Bison prides itself ona complete customer service throughsales, costing, design, production, deliv-ery and installation. The overall £50million capital investment has resultedin Bison maintaining our market lead-ing position enabling us to offer thehighest quality product on guaranteedlead times at market prices.”

Concrete: A sustainable approachSustainability is a current hot topic in the concrete industryand a common belief is that a more sustainable approach isneeded in the Precast industry.

� Interior of the Swadlincote site

� Aerial view of the Swadlincote site

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Architects Allies and Morrisondecided to use exposed concrete as acentral building element in theirextension to Fitzwilliam CollegeCambridge partly because there wasso much of it on show in the originalbuilding by Sir Denys Lasdun, start-ed in 1958.

If Lasdun was the original highpriest of British Brutalism - he wasthe architect of the Royal NationalTheatre on London’s south bankwhich Prince Charles onceunfavourably compared to a nuclearpower station - to those who admiremodern architecture Lasdun hasbeen a hero and generally his repu-tation has been rehabilitated inrecent years.

South sectionThe new auditorium is the first phaseof the final stage of development ofthe south section of the college,explains Paul Appleton, partner atAllies and Morrison.

The facility had to be flexible andcapable of accommodating a widerange of events from lectures tomusical events and drama produc-tions. And because building tech-niques have moved on so much over50 years it was possible to design inmany more green features to theextension.

The new gatehouse was part of theproject and finally gave the college aproper south facing main entrance,

part of the original Lasdun plan butshelved for the best part of 50 years,doing little to enhance his reputa-tion with generations of Cambridgedons and students, outside those inthe architecture school.

In order to minimise the impact onthe college garden the auditoriumbuilding is set one storey into theground so that the main floor is atbasement level, says Gabor Gallov,project architect.

The main auditorium space isrevealed as an exposed concretebasket which is lit naturally by largewindows to north and south.

“The composition of building ele-ments, their juxtaposition anddetailing tell a story of constructionand hierarchy of materials whereconcrete takes an appropriate place,”says Gallov.

“The primary role of the concreteis structural. It also takes a support-ing role both visually and struc-turally to the secondary elements”,adds Paul Appleton.

“A clarity of structure is expressedsimply and rationally , comprisingcolumn, lintel and roof beams. Theseelements are set flush and seem toflow into one another without anyjunctions to reflect the fluid state ofconcrete in its original state,” headds.

The structure holds within itsframe the secondary elements suchas cladding and glazing with white

oak blackout shutters controllingdaylight and louvers controllingsound reverberation.

“We have not sought to furtherexemplify other structural capabili-ties of the concrete beyond its simplestructural roll or to embellish its sur-face other than paying attention toits coloration” said Paul Appleton.

The college had requested a slight-ly lighter concrete than average,

achieved by adding Ballidon lime-stone and light brown sand to themix. Some remedial work has beendone, but the slightly imperfect char-acter of the concrete was anticipatedand welcomed. The auditorium hasbeen applauded for its composition,atmosphere and calm structuralexpression. Its acoustic propertieshave also been found to be particu-larly appropriate for piano concerts.

Following the example setby a modernist masterWith a Lasdun classic as a starting point there was littleroom for manoeuvre in the choice of building materialsfor a new college extension in Cambridge

CONCRETE EVENTS

Concrete EleganceThe Cool OfficeWednesday 21 February, 6.30pmBennetts Associates is a winner ofthe South East England RIBAAward 2005 for Brighton’s JubileeLibrary and well known for theirdesign of large office buildingsand use of sustainable designpractices. They are joined byDenise Bennetts to discuss thelibrary and by representatives fromLifschutz Davidson Sandilands todiscuss the Ascitus Building.

Sustainable LondonThursday 25 January – Tuesday 27 FebruaryMain Gallery & Launch PadGallerySustainable London presents thechallenge, the responses and exam-ples of real progress towards a sus-tainable 21st century city. In associ-ation with New London Architec-ture. Admission is free and open toall from Monday to Saturday.The Building Centre26 Store StreetLondon WC1E &BTTel: 020 7692 6208Fax: 020 7580 9641To book a place on events tel: 0207692 6211 or emailevents@buildingcentretrust.orgwww.buildingcentre.co.uk

Concrete design for a sustainable future3 May – London21 June – EdinburghFree evening seminarConcrete construction can com-bat the effects of global warmingby lowering the energy consump-tion of buildings and thereforecarbon emissions, thus minimis-ing the need for future air-condi-tioning. Attend this seminar tolearn the facts and participate inthe debate. 1.5 hours. Freewww.concretecentre.com/events

Concrete solutions for sustainable housing15 May – LondonHalf-day courseDesign of heavyweight forms ofconstruction continue to evolve.This course will discuss the pas-sive design strategies available forsustainable, energy efficienthomes, offering both low-rise andmulti-storey solutions.3 hours - £90+VATwww.concretecentre.com/events

Sustainable civil engineering24 May - BirminghamFree morning seminarConcrete can help to meet sus-tainability goals when engineeredcorrectly. This seminar identifiesthe sustainability credentials ofthe material, solutions for a rangeof civil engineering projects andexplains how to evaluate theirsuccess. 3 hours – Freewww.concretecentre.com/events

international architecture photographymobile:+49 163 2704730 email: contact@ortmeyer.com

web:www.ortmeyer.com

clients include:Zaha Hadid: Frank Gehry: von Gerkan: VW: Icon:Wallpaper:The New York Times: AD:Riba Journal:Bentley

KLEMENS ORTMEYER ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF LOCALLY SOURCED CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS SHOULD BE EXAMINED

Already a major issue with food, the environmental impact of globaltransportation for construction materials should to be taken intoaccount when examining their sustainability claims.

Increasingly the environmental benefits of locally sourced over globaltransportation are being recognised. This is most apparent with theimportation of food. However, this should be an issue with the importa-tion of construction materials. Some 90 per cent of timber used for con-struction is imported from Scandinavia and even from as far as Canada.Steel, too relies on the importation of its raw materials, notably, iron orefrom Brazil. Reinforced concrete, on the other hand, is sourced fromwithin the UK. The UK reinforcement is 100 per cent recycled steel fromUK-based steel mills and the UK is virtually 100 per cent self-sufficientin the production of concrete.

SustainabilitySourcing raw materials from overseas also presents the problem thatthose exporting companies may not have adequate sustainability regu-lations. The Friends of the Earth cite the UK as being Europe’s largestimporter of illegally tropical timber. Closer to home, 10 per cent of Esto-nia’s timber is exported to the UK of which the WWF believes that 50 percent is illegally felled timber.

“A key principle of sustainability is that a product should be consumedas near to the place of its production as possible in order to minimise theneed for the transport and its associated environmental impacts”, saidSteve Elliott, project director of the British Association of Reinforce-ment. “This is an issue that when expounding their green credentialsother construction material sectors seem to conveniently ignore”.

� The new gatehouse of Fitzwilliam College Cambridge seen from the new auditorium. Design Allies and Morrison

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YOU DECIDE.REINFORCEMENT:

MANUFACTURED SUSTAINABLY

FROM 100% RECYCLED SCRAP

METAL THAT IS LOCALLY SOURCED.

OR, STEEL SECTIONS:

UNSUSTAINABLY MANUFACTURED

FROM NATURAL RESOURCES

IMPORTED FROM THOUSANDS OF

MILES AWAY?

REINFORCED CONCRETEMAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE

For more information on why reinforced concrete is the right choice visit: www.uk-bar.org

Designing for extreme climates is achallenging undertaking as itrequires pushing the boundaries.The challenge in Antarctica was thesevere weather with temperatures ofup to -55°C, snow buildup of around1.5m per year, which slowly buriedprevious research stations and an iceshelf as a site.

The ice shelf moves at a rate ofabout 0.5km per year towards thesea where it breaks up costing aboutone research station every ten yearsor so. With a window of two monthsto supply the research station insummer and no other local resourceapart from sun and snow Halley VIneeded to be self sustaining over thewinter months.

The final design by Make encom-passed a village of pyramid-shapedbuildings that arrived flat-packed ona ship and, once assembled, would

be pulled into position on air cush-ions, similar to a hovercraft. Thepyramid-shape envelope offered theadvantage of strength and stabilitywhile minimising snow build-up. Italso offered an ideal angle to placephotovoltaic and solar collectorsthat supplied the research stationwith hot water and electricity.

One discovery during the designprocess was that it was possible touse the heat emitted by people andappliances to heat the entire village,making any additional heat sourceunnecessary.

Smaller pyramids were designedto be taken on research trips. And atthe end of the research project Hal-ley VI could be flat-packed again tobe shipped to its next location.

At the other end of the climate-scale sits a project for the sub-tropi-cal climate of Abu Dhabi. Although

the design requirements are prettymuch the opposite from Antarcticamany principles apply to both loca-tions: sun and wind energy can beexploited in both places.

Stellar Tower’s sculptural buildingform married economic with ecologi-cal interests: the largest floor plates,which typically attract the highestrents, were located at the top and bot-tom of the building. The large ‘skirt’formed the base of the tower andhoused a number of public amenitiesthat required little or no light. As thispart of the façade had the greatestexposure to the sun, only small stripsof glass were introduced to avoid solargain. The inclination and faceting ofthe upper building envelope resultedin a self shading façade that reducedcooling loads considerable whileoffering daylight and views.

Blowing hot and coldon sustainable designA research station in Antarctica and a tower in Abu Dhabiseemed like a good way to test sustainable concretedesign to its limitsBY BIBIANA ZAPF AT MAKE ARCHITECTS

Designing for extreme climates offers a great research basefor building in moderate climates – such as London. 55 BakerStreet was originally built in the 1950’s. The eight-storey con-crete building is currently being re-developed and the projectis proof that recycling is good – but retention can be better.

By retaining the existing concrete shell much of the CO2that is produced by demolition works and clearing a sitecould be saved. The same goes for the large quantities ofwaste that often end up in landfill sites.

As with all buildings, reducing the need to heat and cool infirst place is the most sustainable route and much of that canbe achieved by design. With 50per cent solid wall in thefaçade solar gain is reduced significantly.

In addition, the three large spaces between the buildingblocks are partially enclosed by large glass structures thattake the form of ‘masks’. Not only act these new atria as ther-mal buffer zones but they offer fantastic new public spacesthat benefit from the new retail spaces.

CARBON DIOXIDE SAVING? LOOK DOWN THE STREET, MY DEAR WATSON

Top right Stellar Tower’s largest floorplates are at the top and bottom of thebuilding

Bottom right Halley VI needed to beself-sustaining over the winter

Sustainablesolutionsthat won’t cost the earthAggregate Industries is a leader in the development ofinnovative and sustainable construction products.

In all areas of construction, Aggregate Industries leads the way. Our Bradstone brandoffers sustainable concrete products for home and garden. For commercial projects and building and structural developments, Charcon, Masterblock and Fyfestone alldeliver proven sustainable solutions, while our Bardon Concrete and London Concretebusinesses provide sustainable ready-mixed options for concrete.

Our aim is to deliver sustainable solutions for the full range of constructionapplications, from road surfacing and hard landscaping to commercial buildings andhousing developments, while minimising the use of scarce natural resources and theimpact of our operations on the environment.

For further information call 01530 512294email sustainable@aggregate.com

or visit www.aggregate.com

Aggregate Industries UK Ltd, Bardon Hill, Coalville, Leicestershire LE67 1TL

An AGGREGATE INDUSTRIES company

Where to put the new library? Theexisting site was unsuitable as alocation for the new library due toits lack of space, inadequate disabledaccess and poor storage conditions.Although it was relocated temporar-ily in September 1999 to a vacantoffice building, it was a stopgap andthere was an urgent need to accom-modate all the main library servicesinto one permanent building.

This was the catalyst for the £60million project to transform aderelict site with the library as thecentrepiece. The four-acre site, a“temporary” car park, was for manyyears earmarked for redevelopmentfollowing demolition of the existingbuildings in the 60s.

In the early 1990s, two attempts tobuild a new library had founderedduring the planning process so,when the Council was obliged by theGovernment to follow the PFI for thethird attempt, it made design qualitya central feature of the tenderingprocedure. It was also required to bea functional and flexible librarywithin a landmark building to con-

tribute to Brighton and Hove’s ren-aissance as a cultural, educationaland social centre for the local com-munity and visitors alike.

In the master plan the design rein-states Jubilee Street to its originalalignment with most of the newbuildings playing a background rolein order that the external spaces pre-dominate. Street level is filled withshops, cafes and restaurants, witheither offices or residential above. Inthe centre of the site, a small squarecombined with a network of second-ary routes ensures that the site is per-meable and pedestrian orientated,with easy physical and visual con-nections between all major buildings.

The square provides the setting forthe library and a venue for public art,performance and the Brighton Festi-val. With a hotel on its south sideand a cafe on its east, the square alsoresolves the unfortunate approach toa 1970s municipal swimming pool.(The hotel has yet to be completed.)

Dominating the library, eight free-standing concrete columns withfan-shaped heads support the mid-dle floor and the roof, defining thecharacter of the space and greatlyadding to the building's thermal

mass. Lightweight bridges cross theair-gap between the central struc-ture and the deep reveals of itsenclosure, allowing daylight to pen-etrate deep within the plan.

The actual figures for energy con-sumption compare extremely wellwith, say, a simple, low energy officebuilding. Clearly, a public libraryhas more intensive use than anoffice over more days of the weekand, at Brighton, there are also ahigh number of computers. Thebuilding is being continuously mon-itored to improve energy consump-tion and carbon dioxide emissions.At present, it is omitting around 20per cent less C02 than a convention-al system, but the largest single itemis lighting and small power, both ofwhich relate closely to the needs ofusers. The fabric of the buildingitself requires very low levels ofenergy to provide comfortable con-ditions. In addition to low energyuse, the building recycles rainwaterand was constructed with locallysourced materials where possible, soas to cut down carbon dioxide emis-sions from transport.

Sitting pretty at the JubileeStreet developmentWhen the Royal Pavilion Estate in Brighton became subject to a major refurbishment programme, the locationof the central library was called into question

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The heavy thermal mass will coolthe house in summer. The glazedsouth facade aims to maximise theuse of passive solar gain in winterbut is shaded in summer by the over-hanging roof.

Why go to all of this trouble? Hot-ter summers mean overheatinginside buildings is a growing prob-lem. This in turn is resulting in theincreased use of air-conditioningsystems, resulting in greater CO2emissions.

But use lots of heavy buildingmaterials in your design and you arewell on the way to a much greenersolution. Utilising the passive sus-tainability potential of buildingsinvolves taking advantage of theirthermal mass. It is part of an inte-grated approach that includes a bal-ance between orientation, glazing,ventilation and shading, as well asthe provision of a high standard ofinsulation and air tightness.

And concrete provides a highlyeffective means of avoiding orreducing the risk of overheatingduring the summer months.

Buildings with a high level of ther-mal mass have an inherent ability tosoak up and release heat at different

times of the day. In the summer, heatis absorbed on hot days, helping tostabilise the internal temperatureand prevent overheating problems.Cool night air can then be used toventilate the building.

In the winter, it works the otherway around; heat gains from the sunare absorbed into the thermal massand radiated in the evenings reduc-ing the need for heating.

They call it passive solar design.Designing for thermal mass and pas-sive sustainability means that archi-tects can make a real difference to abuilding’s operational impact uponthe environment.

Rock solidDavid Turrent, director of ECD Architects, designed thisecologically friendly house at Radoon, Rock, NorthCornwall, pictured right

� The new library building from mainentrance. By Bennet Associates

� The new plaza at night

Over the lifetime of a home concrete construction can produce less CO2 emissions

New research* has found that the high thermal mass of concrete can result in far lessenergy being used to provide cooling in the summer and heating in the winter, resultingin lower CO2 emissions. Over a 60-year life cycle, a concrete and masonry home canemit up to 15 tonnes less CO2 than a comparable lightweight alternative.

Operational CO2 emissions have far more environmental impact than the embodied CO2

of the materials used to construct a building. Some 50% of the UK’s CO2 emissions areproduced by the energy used to heat, cool and light buildings. This makes it essentialthat the energy consumption over a building’s lifetime is taken into account whenevaluating the environmental performance of construction materials.

For further information on this research* and the benefits of concrete’s thermal massvisit www.concretecentre.com/greenhomes

*Embodied and operational carbon dioxide emissions from housing: a case study on the effects of thermal mass and climatechange, 2006. Hacker et al

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In early February the Olympic Deliv-ery Authority ODA submitted theplanning application for theOlympic Park: all 15 volumes and10,000 pages of it.

The plan is that by 2012 it will betransformed into the Olympic Park;2.5 sq km, of gleaming new build-ings and world-class sports facili-ties. A piece of urban regenerationon a heroic scale.

ChallengeThe challenge is not to let the OlympicPark building programme becomeanother Dome or Wembley Stadiumfarce by letting things run late, over-budget, or both. Controversy over thefinancing of 2012 is increasing as thebudget, originally set at a ‘robust’£2.4bn, creeps towards six, seven oreven eight billion pounds.

The London Mayor Ken Living-stone said recently that it would beat least £5.1bn, but that does notinclude paying VAT on constructionprojects or a potential 60 per centcost overrun contingency beingdemanded by the Treasury.

KeyThe Olympic delivery authority(ODA) argues that the key element toremember is that regenerating thearea would account for most of themoney anyway and the Olympic-only element is comparatively mod-est. Barcelona, which used itsOlympics in 1992 to revive its water-front and build entire new districts,is the model for London’s regenera-

tion-led programme. A viable legacyis the top priority in everything.

The international broadcast centreand the main press centre, originallyplanned as temporary facilities, willnow be permanent - but convertedinto spaces for knowledge-economycompanies after 2012. Likewise theaquatics centre has been scaled backfrom an unnecessarily large 20,000-seat capacity to 3,500 seats.

Countdown to London 2012

The Lower Lea Valley This area is thelargest remaining regenerationopportunity in inner London. Thesite is mainly derelict industrial orbrownfield land and the Olympicswill be a huge catalyst for improve-ment. To find out more on the mas-terplan visit www.lda.gov.uk.

Projects Showcase From the centre-piece of the Olympic stadium to theOlympic village a wide range of newfacilities are required for London2012.

• Olympic Stadium• Hockey Centre• Olympic Village• Velopark• Aquatics Centre• Media Centre• Multi-sports Arena• Stratford Regional Railway Station• Woolwich Arsenal Railway Station• Channel Tunnel Rail Link• East London Line

A London organisationhopes to use the Olympicbuilding project as a testbed for more sustainablebuilding techniques.

London sustainability exchange(LSx) is a charity that operates aspart of Forum for the Future and ithas been trying to agree a sustain-able construction skills frameworkfor the 2012 Olympics and theThames Gateway.

One project focuses on reductionof waste on construction sites and isled by the Building Research Estab-lishment (BRE) and ConstructingExcellence (CE). A second focuses onoffsite manufacture of buildingmaterials in the Thames Gatewayand is looking at ways improvementscan contribute to the reduction in

on-site waste of materials. Savingsof up to 30 per cent are possible.

At the moment considerableamounts of building materials arenever used and it is hoped that theLondon Olympics will provide a testbed to develop and display tech-niques for cutting this waste.

The project is looking at a numberof issues related to concrete.

AggregatesThe bulk of concrete by weight andvolume is aggregate, traditionally thecheapest component and thus can beperceived as a barrier to change,‘aggregates are cheap anyway, anychange will add to the expense’.However for non-structural concretethe use of ashes from blast furnacesand more recently ashes form munic-ipal waste including sewage treat-ment plants has been pioneered bysome boroughs and by Transport forLondon, while ground glass has beenused for the sub base of some roads.

Transport of ConcreteAround 21 per cent of London’s CO2is produced by transport. Currentlyfreight constitutes 14 per cent of allmodes of transport in London and

provides 23 per cent of London'stransport emissions. Further, 88 percent of freight is carried on London'sroads.

Rail Freight produces 90 per centless CO2 than road freight .

London is seeing the developmentof logistics centres particularly atPark Royal in West London and inStrafford for the 2012 games.

Supporting a strategy for freightand in particular the distributionof the raw materials of cementwould reduce the carbon footprintof London.

Concrete RepairsPoor workmanship and aging con-crete result in serviceability limitstate failures and is one of the mostserious challenges facing the indus-try. Untreated unsightly crackingcan reduce consumer confidenceand in the long term lead to struc-tural failure.

Traditionally concrete repairsutilise cementitious or epoxy com-pounds, which are carbon intensive

Thus the use of materials in con-crete repairs are increasinglybecoming of interest in the overallsustainability of the industry.

Resurrection ofThe Lea ValleyThe Lea valley is a desolate and dreary place, miles ofabandoned factories, pieces of wasteland and dirty water-ways all crisscrossed with overhead powerlines.

BedZED is the UK’s largest eco-village based in south Londonand is a Peabody Trust development in partnership withBioRegional and designed by Bill Dunster Architects.

BedZED’s aim was to provide a completely sustainablemixed use community The development addresses waste, bio-diversity, energy provision and efficiency. BedZED had a sus-tainable construction materials sourcing strategy which gavepreference to local, environmentally accredited, reclaimed andrecycled materials and those with good life cycle performance.The sustainable materials strategy meant that BedZED’s envi-ronmental impact from construction was not more than for aconventional development, this is because the strategyreduced the site’s embodied energy by 25 per cent.

BedZED uses 8,000m2 of pre-stressed concrete floorsslabs that provide great thermal mass, acoustic insulationand structural function. The concrete slabs where designedwith a screen finish top surface and an exposed soffit. Noplastering or suspended ceiling was included, eliminatingceiling materials, reducing environmental impact and labourtime, simplifying the build programme and achieving costsavings. There is no simple way to compare with the in-situoption, but a significant saving is achieved. The program isspeeded up because there is no concrete setting time, noconcrete drying time, no plastering or suspended work.

BioRegional: +44 (0)20 8404 4880 www.bioregional.com Tarmac Topfloor Limited: 01335 360601

Looking for a spurt of speedin the waste marathon

BedZED construction materials: local, recycled,reclaimed, accredited and durable

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We all know the deep fondness thatNew Labour has for targets andtheir failure to achieve many hasresulted in understandable cyni-cism, but a notable exception hasbeen development on brownfieldsites where the target has beenwildly exceeded.

The Government target is that 60per cent of all new house develop-ment should be on brown field landbut local authorities have been man-aging in excess of 70 per cent foryears.

English Partnerships, the quangothat oversees the programme, saysthat 66,000 ha of brownfield landremains and it maintains that a thirdis readily developable, although it isnot clear how much is in desirablelocations.

Low concentrations of hazardouswaste or pollution can be cleaned upand the land reused relatively easilythese days .

Land that is more severely con-taminated and has higher concen-trations of hazardous waste or pol-

lution can be more tricky to dealwith. Mixing the contaminated soilwith cement has proved a successfultechnique that renders the contami-nants immobile and virtually non-leachable.

“ The Governmenttarget is that 60 percent of all new housedevelopment should beon brown field land butlocal authorities havebeen managing inexcess of 70 per cent for years ”

In many cases the alternative is todig up the contaminants and thendump them on landfill sites else-where. But in the United States socalled solidification and stabilisa-

tion now accounts for around 25 percent of land remediation under theirgovernment and industry sponsoredSuperfund scheme. It is possible tolock in the potential contaminants,thereby allowing more brownfieldland to be reused.

Many contaminated brownfieldsites sit idle and unused for decadesbecause the cost of cleaning them tosafe standards is more than the land

would be worth after redevelop-ment. But the advantages of thistechnique can be spectacular.

Toxic metalsA site at Leytonstone in north Lon-don contaminated with elevated lev-els of toxic metals including arsenic,cadmium, lead and mercury doesnot sound the ideal location for aschool. Leyton School now stands

directly on top of this witches’ brewand after 12,000 cubic metres ofcontaminated soil were mixed with5 per cent cement the reinforcedconcrete slab of the school wasplaced straight on top.

It is estimated that the use ofsolidification and stabilisation saved75 per cent of the cost of carting allof the soil away and cut the lengthof the project by 10 per cent.

Sweeping problems under the carpet might not be such a bad ideaCarting away tons of noxious pollutants from brown fieldsites is not always the best solution, and there are options

THE MARKET FOR CEMENT

Where more construction takes place, more cement is needed. The sales radius is limited by high transport costs so the marketdevelopment of cement is closely linked to economic development of which construction activity is a significant indicator, and win-ning new markets requires key investment in new locations. Growth markets include Eastern Europe and Asia, and North Americacontinued to significantly expand in 2004. In contrast there was a varied development in the rest of Europe. The world economyimproved dramatically during 2003 and 2004 and a lot of regions experienced a rise in construction activity, with the exception ofGermany where construction remained weak.

Cement sales volumes by regions in 1,000 tonnes

0

5000

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Europe

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Europe

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America

Africa-

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Turkey

2003

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INLAND REVENUE CENTRE, NOTTINGHAM

The transformation of a brownfield site extended the character and urban grainof the city, to create accommodation space for 1800 staff.

Seven separate buildings, in the form of courtyards and L-shaped blocks,range along a curving spine road, lined with trees and car parking. It is crossedby radiating streets, which focus on Nottingham Castle, on a steep bluff above.

The amenity building, with a dramatic fabric roof, suspended from four rakingsteel masts, is placed centrally along the spine. It is both the visual and socialcentre of the complex, containing a multi-purpose sports hall, flanked bychanging rooms on the ground floor and by a bar and restaurants on the bal-cony above.

The office buildings were extensively pre-fabricated to meet a tight construc-tion programme. The local bricks of the load-bearing piers were laid in a factory,around steel lifting rods, in storey height units. They support shallow barrel-vaulted concrete floor spanning the width of the building. The office buildingsare capped with projecting lead-clad attics.

The Centre was a pioneering 'Green' project in the UK. At night the inherentthermal mass of the concrete is exploited and purged with fresh air to pre coolthe structure. At the corners of the buildings, the air within the glass block stairtowers warms and rises on sunny days, giving extra drive to the ventilation sys-tem. Fabric umbrellas on the tops of the towers act as large dampers, lifting toexhaust hot air and closing, on cool days, to conserve heat.

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AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT FROM MEDIAPLANET ABOUT CONCRETE,DISTRIBUTED IN THE TIMES16

It sounds like an April fool, cementthat eats CO2, but it is quite genuineand a remarkable new cement build-ing material has been shown in EUmonitored tests to reduce CO2 levelsin urban settings by up to half.

So called photocatalytic cementbuilding materials and coveringsabsorb and eliminate from 20 percent to 80 per cent of air pollutants,depending on atmospheric condi-tions and the level of sunlight avail-able to trigger the process.

Titanium dioxide is combined intowall facings and road surfaces and

they can then remove pollutantshighly effectively.

The sunlight starts a chemicalreaction between the CO2 and thetitanium dioxide that removes thegas from the air and crystallises itinto a salt that sits on the surface ofbuildings and roads until washedaway by rain. This remarkable find-ing was unveiled at a conferenceorganized as part of the 10th Inter-national Architecture Biennale inVenice, last October. The conference,“Architects and materials for thecities of the future”, looked at theway photoactive cements can helpimprove the quality of urban life.

It published the results of testsconducted by scientists for the Euro-pean “Competitive and SustainableGrowth” research program, whichhas identified and selected the prod-ucts with the most effective depol-luting and self-cleaning properties.The star is titanium dioxide.

The lab tests on photoactivecements indicated that three min-utes of sunlight are sufficient toreduce pollutants by up to 75 percent.

Titanium dioxide has now beenlaunched in commercially availablecement under the TX Active brandby the Italcementi Group, the fifthlargest cement producer in the worldand the biggest in the Mediterraneanarea. It has been researching in thearea for some time.

Applications achieve maximumeffectiveness on large-scale con-structions, whose larger surfaceareas exposed to pollutants and lightdeliver the best results in reducingharmful pollutants; for example,paving or wall coverings in urbanareas with heavy traffic,” said Maur-izio Donegà, Italcementi DeputyChief Operating Officer and head ofbusiness operations in Italy.In Bergamo a road has been pavedwith blocks made from cement con-taining the titanium dioxide-bearingTX Active. It was demonstrated thaton a 500-meter road with two-waytraffic and 400 vehicles an hour,pollution was reduced to the equiva-lent produced by 150 vehicles.

In Segrate, in the province ofMilan, a TX Active photocatalyticmortar was used to resurface a sec-tion of the via Morandi, with dailytraffic of approximately 1,000vehicles/hour; the test certified areduction of around 60 per cent innitrous oxide.

A test at the site of a new town inthe Po valley showed a 47 per centreduction in urban pollutants in sec-

tions that had been built using pho-tocatalytic cement, compared toareas built with standard cementformulations.

It was witnessed by Franco Purini,professor of Architectural and UrbanComposition at La Sapienza Univer-sity and the curator of the ItalianPavilion at the 10th InternationalArchitecture Biennale.

“Vema is a project for a new cityin the Po Valley between Verona andMantua, an ideal city, an innovativecity that considers issues such ashousing, workplaces, infrastruc-tures, green areas, in an attempt toinvolve the theme of sustainabilityas part of a global experimentaffecting every aspect of the citydesign,” said Professor Purini.

He continued, “Vema is alsointended as a contrast to the sprawl-ing city, replacing the uncontrolled,anonymous proliferation of hous-ing, warehouses and shopping malls

with discrete, recognisable urbanentities that foster new relationswith the community and simultane-ously render explicit the existingpotential of the Po Valley area,”

TX Active has already been usedin the construction of the new AirFrance building at Charles de Gaulleairport in Paris.

Products containing TX Active®were used for the covering of the“Ellisse” structure in the ItalianPavilion and for the walls and standsin the exhibition areas in the Gar-dens and at the Arsenal.

TX Active® is a result of more then10 years of studies and researchesfrom Italcementi. It is not just acommercial achievement but muchmore a groundbreaking discoverythat can offer a real help to solvepollution issues.

For further information contactItalcementi Group

www.italcementigroup.com

The cement that eats CO2An innovative new way of controlling urban air pollutionmeans that levels in Italian towns have been cut by half

� As organic and inorganic pollutantscome into contact with the new cementand sunlight they are turned into saltsand later washed

Walsh Associates spear-head Sustainability throughdesign

With the built environment underscrutiny, engineers like Walsh Associ-ates are already delivering greenerbuilding design. “As structural engi-neers we can have a real impact uponsustainability”, said managing director,Stephen Walsh. “The keys are thethree R’s - Reduce,Reuse and Recycle.It’s just good, thoughtful engineering.When you think that my firm alonedesigns projects in excess of £300 mil-lion each year, suddenly the sustain-able influence that engineers can havebecomes significant.”

Sustainable“Practical sustainable solutions consid-er design, construction and materials.The results can be hidden in the build-ing’s structure,” explained Walsh,“butimpact upon its sustainability can besignificant.”Walsh takes delivering onsustainable thinking seriously: Cuttingenvironmental impact by reducingboth embodied energy and the cre-ation of waste with well designed,practical, solutions.

The firm embeds practical sustain-able construction solutions into everyavailable opportunity - including thehigh profile residential, commercialand gallery development at Paynesand Borthwick Wharves, Deptford.

“We’re keeping the river façade tothe building on Paynes Wharf. Initialideas from concept architect Assael

Architecture, developed by TwiggBrown, include a new concrete framedgallery,” explained Walsh. “By using aconcrete base,we can avoid digging outand disposing of soil for piled founda-tions.”This represents a massive energysaving. Demolition rubble will be recy-cled into new foundations on site, or asroadbase elsewhere, reducing materi-als sent to landfill.Once finished,no onewill ever know any of this, but theimpact that we have had remains.”

Analysis“Thinking to this level takes a lot ofdetailed analysis. Saving materialsmakes financial and environmentalsense”, said Walsh Director, ChrisBean.“For example, some of the con-crete aggregates for this project willbe recycled waste - fly ash and slag.”

“The gallery columns will be leftexposed, avoiding use of coveringmaterials. The thermal mass of thefloor slabs will actually reduce theamount of cooling that the buildingrequires. It is all simple technology,proven through analysis, and veryeffective.”

The residential tower demon-strates “lean technology”. Sophisticat-ed analytical design enables use ofminimum materials.“Columns with ahigher strength concrete than floors,need less steel reinforcement,”explained Bean. “Pre-stressed con-crete slims floor slabs by a third, butkeeps the strength. Steel tendonsthree times stronger than normal steelreinforcement mean a lot less steel.Using cutting edge Finite Element soft-

ware lets us place the steel for maxi-mum performance, making fur thersavings”.Weight saving has a knock oneffect.“Thinner floor slabs mean small-er columns, and smaller foundations,”said Bean. “It all reduces embodiedenergy used to build the building.”

Walsh concluded “Lean construc-tion means less materials, which isgood for our client, Lane Castle.Weknow by doing our job properly, we’resaving resources, so that not onlyhelps others but is rewarding to us.”

Practical sustainable solutions

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The industry perspective

� Bill Bolsover Group CEO of AggregateIndustries

The IPCC report published last weekgave hard-hitting warnings aboutthe effect humans are having on thenatural environment and was areminder, if needed, that UK busi-nesses need to act quickly. In theconstruction industry particularly,research and development is vital toensure that sustainable constructionsolutions are available for futuredevelopment. Concrete has much tooffer the modern development.

Investigations into thermal masshave revealed that the carbon foot-print of concrete is offset by effi-ciencies achieved over the life spanof a building.

Concrete can actually insulateagainst extremes in weather, requir-ing only a low energy input to warmand cool an entire building, therebyproviding huge savings over thebuilding’s life span. Aggregate Indus-tries is committed both to manufac-turing products which contribute tothe thermal mass of buildings and tosubstituting secondary materialssuch as incinerator bottom ash in theproduction of hard landscaping andother sustainable concrete products.

The UK construction industry as awhole needs to be open to new ideasand practices, and to consider life-cycle assessment of developmentsinstead of focusing on short-termanswers. As suppliers of construc-tion materials we must continue tooffer a wide range of sustainableproduct options for our clients tochoose from, in order to support thedrive towards sustainable construc-tion. For this to work effectively,however, we as an industry mustensure that we provide the evidenceand demonstrate effectively, ourcapability to deliver the best sus-tainable construction solutions. ■

� Bruno Lafont, CEO of Lafarge

How do you plan to support thedevelopment of sustainable devel-opment?

“Back in 2000, Lafarge formed a pio-neering partnership with WWF andcommitted itself to a radical policy toreduce, by 2010, its CO2 emissionsfrom its plants by 20 per cent world-wide. This objective goes far beyondthose of the Kyoto protocol. But asthe world leader in building materi-als we have decided to go further andengage with the whole constructionchain. 80 per cent of the CO2 emis-sions of a building stem from its useover the course of its life time, whileless than 10 per cent come from the

manufacturing of the building mate-rials. In 2006, we initiated anotherproject under the umbrella of theWBCSD called Energy EfficiencyBuilding. This programme now gath-ers more than 10 leading companiesof the construction chain and willmap out the necessary changes toachieve a world in which buildingsconsume zero net energy.

With the French architect JacquesFerrier, we developed a concept towermade of the most innovative and ultrahigh performance concretes - such asDuctal and Agilia - produced in theLafarge Research Center. This Hyper-green tower is designed for the mega-cities of the world’s developing coun-tries, where construction demand isroaring and must be met with envi-ronmentally-friendly solutions.” ■

“As an industry leader we’ve alwaysoperated with an eye on the future.It’s very important that we under-stand the upcoming issues andrequirements that are on the horizonand are so often debated. Becausethe subject of sustainability touchesso many areas, for example; ourpeople, our product developmentprocesses, production, deliveries,invoicing and waste minimisation, itwould be naive to claim that ourapproach is perfect and that we aredealing with each one as effectivelyas possible - it’s forever changing.However, by listening to each other,our customers and the communitieswe serve, we are working together tocreate appropriate solutions thatreally make a difference.

If we are to be successful as aleader in the sustainability chal-lenge, our approach needs to stayintegrated and we need to continueto be committed to making the nec-essary changes and adapting ourworking practices accordingly. AtTarmac, sustainability isn’t just afad, we foster a culture that encour-ages it to be part of our everydayactivities, always considering theimpact that our business has on thewider world. It is always easier toleave it to someone else to make thedifference but with passion andenthusiasm to make things happen,we are determined to do our bit. Weare taking action today with tomor-row clearly in mind.”

� David Weston, Tarmac CEO

Pictured Commercial and gallery development at Paynes and BorthwickWharves Deptford

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The oldest recorded use of concretecomes from a hut in Serbia fromaround 5600 BC where the basewas constructed of red lime, sand,and gravel. The ancient Chinesewent in for more elaborate con-structs producing pyramids built

thousands of years ago, containinga mix of lime plus volcanic ash,while both the Assyrians and Baby-lonians used clay as the cement intheir concrete.

But it was the Roman Empire thatmarched forward determined to

concrete over virtually anythingthat did not move. Their mixturecame from quicklime ash and anaggregate made from pumice and itwas similar to modern Portlandcement concrete.

Volcanic ashThe Romans also discovered thatadding volcanic ash to the mixallowed it to set under water, a tech-nique that reached a wide audiencewhen author Robert Harris producedhis novel Pompeii. Similarly, theRomans knew that adding horse hairmade concrete less liable to shrink

while it hardened, and adding bloodmade it more frost resistant.

“ In modern times theuse of recycled materialsas ingredients is gainingpopularity ”

In 1756, the British engineer JohnSmeaton pioneered the use of Port-land cement in concrete, using peb-bles and powdered brick as aggre-gate. There are a number of concrete

buildings dotted around the Englishcountryside that date from the 18thCentury. In modern times the use ofrecycled materials as ingredients inconcrete is gaining popularitybecause of increasingly stringentenvironmental legislation. The mostconspicuous of these is fly ash, a byproduct of coal fired power plants.This has a significant impact byreducing the amount of quarryingand landfill space required.

Researchers have added othermaterials to create concrete that isextremely strong, and even concretethat can conduct electricity.

A building material through the ages (but sometimes people forgot the recipe)Concrete seems to be the most modern of building materials controllable, malleable and in its wet formplastic, but it has a long history, be it one with breakswhere humans seem to have temporarily forgotten itsmagical properties

“For far too long British manufacturinghas been treated by successive gov-ernments as disposable, with hightaxes and increasing regulation makingit more difficult to compete withlower foreign labour costs. Now itstime to refocus on a strong domesticindustry", says British Precast.

This may appear to make the tradefederation for the UK Precast concreteand masonry industry sound like littleEnglanders, but this is certainly not thecase.The membership of British Pre-cast is responsible for supplying £2.5billion of product onto the UK marketeach year, and by fighting the case onsustainability grounds for buying Britishthe Federation is growing every month- not something most trade associa-tions in the UK can claim.

The sector operates around 850factories producing about 38 milliontonnes of product in total. Its productssupply the structure for 85 per cent ofBritain’s new homes, the systems forthe national drainage and sewerageinfrastructure and the paving for mostcity centers.

They make the sleepers that tie rail-tracks together and the cable boxesthat run alongside.They supply mostnew and refurbished roofs with tiles

and slates, and if you are reading this inan office the chances are that you arestanding on a Precast floor.

The products truly underpin mod-ern life in Britain.

British Precast member companieshave set up the More from Less proj-ect to drive forward the sustainabilityagenda in the sector - for example toreduce accidents and lost time, toreduce the generation of waste to aminimum both in the factory and on-site, and to get the carbon footprint oftheir products as low as possible.

British Precast has teamed up withLoughborough University to runMore from Less project over a fouryear period, and they have shown thata more sustainable Precast industrywill be a more profitable and competi-tive industry.

A series of case studies examinedby the Loughborough team of IanHolton and Dr Jacqui Glass along withBritish Precast CEO Martin Clarkelook at all elements of sustainability -the economic benefits of reducing theconsumption of natural resourcesand energy, in addition to protectingthe environment and achieving socialprogress.The Federation argues that,just as the public are realising that

bringing out of season fruit and veg-etables half way around the world isnot sustainable, there is a growingrealisation that it just does not makesense to import building productsfrom all over the globe, when Precastconcrete products are made fromsimple materials that are sourcedlocally.

"Our products in use are alsoincreasingly recognised for their con-tribution to sustainable buildings andengineered structures" said MartinClarke of British Precast.

British Precast has produced a pub-lication which summarises the 100reasons for using Precast concreteproducts, for example:

• Precast products are made to meas-ure with tight tolerances minimisingwaste;

• Concrete is fire-proof, flood-proof,burglar-proof and insect-proof;

• Precast products are designed tolast far longer than other buildingmaterials,centuries in the case ofhouses;

• Concrete’s thermal mass eliminatesthe need for air-conditioning in newhomes, something that lightweighthouses will need retrofitting within afew years.

For a free copy of the "Little Book ofConcrete" email

publications@britishprecast.org

Precast concrete:sustainablesolutions, locally available"Better Built in Precast - sustainable solutions with factory-engineered concrete products," trumpets British Precast.

� Modern masonry accounts for 85 per cent of all the UK housing market.

Every little helps it seems when itcomes to making building materialsmore sustainable and a bit greener.Organicstone is a small companyfounded by industrial designer SueJones and run by her and her twodaughters Vicky and Georgina from asmall shop in Gloucester docks. Theymakes garden paving and ornamen-tal garden features from their veryown super green concrete.

They have come up with a productof the same name which is availablein interesting shapes and a range ofnatural colours, what makes themdifferent is that the aggregates are allrecycled, they have cut down on thecement and use fibres as reinforcing.

“Our philosophy is to use lowenergy; earth-friendly attitudestowards manufacturing techniques”,says Vicky Jones. In fact all of thefirm’s products from organicallyinspired flooring to outside furni-ture contain varying percentages ofrecycled raw materials including

recycled crushed limestone, recycledglass, volcanic ash and wood fibrethat has been recycled.

They make a replacement for ordi-nary Portland cement from pul-verised fuel ash collected from coal-fired power stations, granulatedblast furnace slag and limestonepowder. The latest technology plas-ticizeres also make it self-compact-ing, reducing energy use further andrequiring minimal amounts of water.

Mark Laurence is a garden design-er who applies sustainable principlesto garden design.

“There is a simple mantra, I thinkwe should all observe. I won'timprove my environment at theexpense of another,” he says

It can prove difficult in practice.Tropical timbers are used in outdoorfurniture and decking and althoughthey are beautiful and hardwearingthey come at a high environmentalcost in the form of rainforestdestruction and transportation costs.

And most garden design wouldnot get far without a cement mixerand lots of concrete. Yet productionof cement is responsible for signifi-cant amounts of the world's CO2pollution, he points out.

“We have to realise that everyonecan do quite a lot and if they did, itwould add up significantly”, saysMark who has been pioneering alter-natives to traditional Portlandcement. Garden walls can often bemade from rammed earth, he arguesmade by compacting subsoil insidetimber or metal formwork. The soilmust be kept dry so it needs somekind of footing. Modern paving isoften made from concrete and insome instances it is quite hard tofind realistic substitutes. For largerareas and drives, self-binding orpermeable gravels may be one of thebetter answers, he says.

Alternatives to concrete liners forponds and often a layer of sandunder the bottom, the traditionalsealant before concrete can proveeffective.

www.marklaurence.com

Rammed earth and powerstation clinker to the rescueWhen it comes to garden designing in our own back yardsthere may be alternative choices to conventional con-crete. We highlight two small firms pioneering a varietyof substitutes

AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT FROM MEDIAPLANET ABOUT CONCRETE,DISTRIBUTED IN THE TIMES 19

Meeting future needs and aspirationsRecent reports from Sir Nicholas Stern and the IntergovernmentalPanel on Climate Change (IPCC) have confirmed the belief that actionis necessary to address the effects we are having on the global climate.

As we build for the future, we must ensurethat we do not repeat past mistakes whileproviding homes and buildings which cancope with the predicted changes to our cli-mate. Aggregate Industries outlines twobroad ways in which concrete can help tosatisfy the need for regeneration and growthaspirations in a sustainable way. In terms ofbuilding structure, concrete provides build-ings with strength and thermal massthroughout its whole life. When consideringthe material performance, concrete can alsoprovide an outlet for recycled and secondarymaterials thus reducing the strain on the nat-ural environment.

Building StructureCurrent regeneration plans in Manchester,Thames Gateway and the 2012 Olympicshave, or need to integrate a low carbonapproach to the construction, use and end oflife of buildings and structures. These arelong-term regeneration programmes with thepotential to leave a positive legacy and inspi-ration for future developments.

Concrete provides thermal mass, a conceptlong established and used in many traditionalbuilding styles. Put simply, radiant heat isstored in walls and floors which providescooler internal temperatures in summer andstores warmth in winter. Using high-densitymaterials such as concrete provides the great-est thermal mass. This concept has been suc-

cessfully used at BedZed, an award winningeco-development in the London Borough ofMerton. The company responsible for design-ing BedZed, Zedfactory Ltd, has worked withAggregate Industries on further projects, inparticular RuralZed where pre-cast concreteinternal walls contributed to the thermal mass.

Concrete is often criticised from an envi-ronmental perspective for the impacts createdindirectly from the use of cement as an inte-gral constituent. However, a growing body ofresearch evidence shows that due to the lowerrequirements for energy to heat and coolstructures with high thermal mass, this impactcan be nullified within 15 years of the life ofthe building. At the same time considerablereductions have been made in the carbonfootprint of cement through improvedprocesses and the use of alternative fuels.Thus long-term concrete can be vital toreducing the overall consumption of energyand so reducing future CO2 emissions.

Material PerformanceA growing number of Aggregate Industries’concrete products exploit the opportunity touse secondary and recycled aggregates withinthe mix design. As a result of using suchmaterials, we can reduce the strain on the nat-ural environment by making use of materialspreviously destined for landfill and by doingso preserving ‘virgin’ quarried stoneresources. Aggregate Industries’ Enviroblock

and Enviromasonry ranges contain 100%recycled or secondary aggregate and areBuilding Research Establishment ‘A’ ratedproducts for the housing and commercialbuild markets. Similarly, EcoKerb and Eco-Pave hard landscaping products from Char-con contain 67% reclaimed aggregate, for use

in projects where clients demand sustainablebuilding practices and a high quality finish.

Aggregate Industries is at the forefront ofsecondary aggregates production and use inproducts such as precast concrete, ready-mixed concrete and in bagged aggregates forDIY or small building projects. Further researchis looking into other ways of using these valu-able but previously underused materials.

The FutureConcrete is a versatile, durable and locallysourced building material that has manyapplications in creating a sustainable future.Aggregate Industries is working with suppli-ers and clients to develop more sustainableproducts for a wide variety of applications inmany markets and awareness is growing ofits potential to contribute in low carbondevelopments. With careful design and con-struction, concrete can itself be recycledwhen a structure comes to the end of its life.

Aggregate Industries UK LimitedBardon Hill, Coalville

Leicestershire LE67 1TLTel: 01530 512294

Email:sustainable@aggregate.comwww.aggregate.com

An AGGREGATE INDUSTRIES company

� Masterblock Enviroblock

� Mark Laurence design showingrammed earth wall with organic stonecopings for Grand Designs Live 2006

Leader

Unvei led

A

World leader

IN building materials

BUT ALSO CREATOR

OF new ready-to-use

ideasConstantly anticipating the needs of the construction sector and designing new

and better products that are ahead of their time. It’s our “raison d’être”.

Our research and development centre is today’s worldwide benchmark in building

materials. It is the result of the extensive integration of our businesses.

Agilia®, an exclusive range on the market, is the proof of this synergistic approach

and already accounts for 10% of results in our concrete business worldwide.

We’re leading the way in innovation. Ambition is our strength.

www.lafarge.com