Case Studies

Achieving both a BREEAM excellence rating and an air permeability of 5, this new 10 storey (including 3 underground stories) development is one of the most efficient buildings currently under construction in the UK.

Specification for concrete columns is always particularly demanding, especially when exposed concrete finishes are required such as this building in the offices and car parks. A more superior finish than conventional concrete was required. Agilia™ Vertical's mix design was able to offer quality surfaces without remedial work and at the same time the self compacting properties essential for use with complex formwork. 

For More information please call 0870 336 8258

Nottingham Trent University's green building plans has seen teams from across Lafarge come together to deliver a sustainable concrete solution.

The regeneration of Grade II* listed buildings at Nottingham Trent University led to the creation of an innovative special product - recycled concrete.

Northfield Construction, tasked Lafarge Readymix to supply concrete that contained as much recycled material as possible, however, the task did not end there, with aesthetics an issue, the architects also wanted to ensure the end-result colour would be in keeping with the surrounding area.

For more information please call 0870 336 8294

The Loxley Building was the first commercial pour undertaken by Lafarge in the UK to use Extensia™. The building was designed leaving a floor area of 1750m² to be laid conventionally using a laser screed, however, the client T.P Dibden decided to use Extensia™, making them the first company in the world to use Extensia™ commercially.

The Loxley Building was commissioned by Somi Trailers who manufacture and repair lorry trailers, their innovative new trailer design has allowed for increased loads of up to 25% to be carried. This linked to the environmental properties of Extensia™ has allowed two like-minded companies to work together, combining innovation and sustainability as one. 

Over the last five years Lafarge Readymix has developed Extensia™ a low shrink concrete for the use in commercial and industrial floors. This particular project had been designed to use a 200mm thick slab with 30kg of steel fibres, due to the advanced design of Extensia™ an alternative design was offered allowing for a reduction in slab depth and removal of steel fibres, while still meeting requirements of the design loadings on the floor.

This change of design gave the client substantial cost savings, a thinner floor slab and offered a more sustainable solution to conventional flooring methods. The pour was completed over an 8 hour period and a total of 284m³ of Extensia™ was laid.

For more information please call 0870 336 8294

Winner of Eco-Self Build Award and renowned architect Jerry Harrall of SEARCH Architecture is in the process of developing six earth-bunded single storey autonomous homes for affordable rent in Long Sutton.

For this bespoke project a specialist concrete is needed and Lafarge were the only company able to provide a concrete that met all of Jerry's requirement. 

Lafarge's technical team worked tirelessly on different mix designs to provide a concrete with all the normal characteristics of a C28/35 but with the lowest possible carbon content.

By increasing the slag content of the concrete and introducing crushed glass and recycled granite to the mix a concrete with substantially less carbon was produced.

When compared to a generic 50% slag mix our new mix achieved a reduction of 64.4% in carbon.

By incorporating glass and recycled aggregate this figure will increase, however a reducion of over 60% is a fantastic starting point and just what the customer required.

For more information please call 0870 336 8294

The building, situated at the entrance to the Loughborough University will house the governing bodies of many sports and provide office space, break out areas and a great deal of space for sports equipment storage.

The scheme comprises of four buildings with up to five stories linked through glazed circulation spaces and covers a total area of 5,900m²

The process of constructing the central core and some of the walls relies on waiting for concrete to achieve sufficient strength so that formwork can be struck and repositioned. This typically takes 2-3 days but seasonal weather was slowing the process and a solution was required to maintain usual build rate.

Lafarge were already talking to Northfield about a similar issue at another site and Chronolia™ 2+2 was suggested as a solution. This rapid strength gain concrete achieves sufficient strength to support itself after just 2 hours.

22m³ was supplied from Lockington over a three week period. After 2 hours the formwork was mechanically ratcheted back to reveal a concrete face that was cured sufficiently to hold its own weight and form.

Test cubes were taken and crushed after 24 hours confirming the correct strength had been achieved. The engineers and site agent were amazed at the properties of Chronolia™ 2+2 and staggered at the 24 hour cube result which was in the region of 36N/mm.

For more information please call 0870 336 8294

The spectacular 20-metre-high sculpture, portraying the head of a girl with her eyes closed, is the artist's response to a brief developed through conversations with ex-miners and members of the wider local community. The aim was to create a piece that looked forward as well as back and created a beautiful, contemplative space for future generations. Dream is fabricated in pre-cast concrete, with a white, almost luminescent finish of white marble and concrete aggregate, in marked contrast to the black of the coal that still lies below.

Lafarge supplied Evans with a mix, containing white cement, 0-2mm Spanish Dolomite fines, 8-12mm Spanish Dolomite Course Aggregate, Anatiase Titanium Dioxide, Strux 90/40 fibres and ADVA 560 additive.

Pinxton Readymix plant was set up with all the correct materials and designated solely to supply the project.  Over a 10 week period over 200m of concrete was batched and supplied to Evans, with one or two pours a day, a dedicated truck and technical assistance to make sure the concrete made it is perfect condition to the bespoke disposable moulds.

For more information please call 0870 336 8256

The brief was to create an efficient and sustainable operation more suited to the company's needs and centrally located within the UK network

Each Floor has a concrete base and "raised floor system" built on a series of stilts allowing air to flow and cables to be hidden. The stilts are topped with tiles and carpet.

In order to reduce heating a cooling costs, inside the building an airflow is created by a system underneath the floor - this treated air at 18˚C is introduced via floor and circulated by ‘swirl diffusers'.

Creating a large mass of swirling air at 21˚C circulated in room at low velocity; as it is warmed by heat sources in office (i.e people and computers) the air moves up to ceiling level where it is extracted at 23˚C.

The air itself is a mixture of re-circulated air and fresh air, which allows for natural cooling without the need for mechanical refrigeration.

For more information please call 0870 336 8294