New Civil Engineer - Catherine Kennedy
Low carbon concrete is being used to help transform Gatwick Airport station as part of Network Rail’s plans to upgrade and improve the experience of rail users.
Materials company Hanson has supplied approximately 3,000m3 of low carbon concrete to main contractor Costain to refurbish the existing station concourse and build a second, bigger one which will create a new entrance into the airport.
The concrete, which contains 70% Regen ground granulated blastfurnace slag (GGBS), provides the correct durability requirements while saving more than 500t of CO2 emissions over a standard concrete.
Regen GGBS is used as a replacement for some of the Portland cement (CEM I) content in concrete. GGBS is a by-product of the iron making industry and its manufacture requires less than one third of the energy and produces less than 10% of the CO2 emissions of CEM I. It also does not require the quarrying of new materials and its use prevents material being disposed of as landfill.
