Eurocode 1

Tom De Saulles, The Concrete Centre's advisor on Building Physics expresses concerns that elements of new MHCLG proposals represent a backward step on addressing overheating in new homes.

Over the past few years the Government has made the use of off-site construction techniques as one of its core objectives for the construction industry. Jenny Burridge of The Concrete Centre looks at some of these options and the benefits that can be realised by choosing concrete as the off-site construction option.

Concrete mix design is an art, a science – and one of the keys to a zero-carbon built environment. When construction materials are ranked in order of their embodied carbon, people are often surprised to see how low down the list concrete is. The reason its global carbon cost is so significant is that it is used in such enormous quantities. There are good reasons for this.

As we try to lower our carbon footprint and produce lower carbon intensive projects, one of the ways we can do so is to look at how we specify the concrete we use. Jenny Burridge of The Concrete Centre.

In 2020, fibUK held the inaugural Coolest Concrete Award, a poster competition for engineers and researchers in the first 10 years of their career. The competition asked entrants to produce a poster showcasing interesting solutions using concrete from their research, design, assessment or construction work. Emily Halliwell provides a review of the winner and runner-up. 

As we reflect on 2020, we have learnt that things can change and quickly. The Concrete Centre started the year with its usual events programme, a Concrete Elegance lecture, technical webinars, and a successful exhibition at Futurebuild at the ExCel in London but just a few weeks after Futurebuild, the ExCel was a Nightingale hospital and the country was in lockdown.

The Concrete Centre is delighted to be sponsoring the Best Use of Concrete Technology category for another year in the Offsite Construction Awards. The 2021 entries are now open, so please ensure you submit your project or innovation by the 28th May deadline.

Edwin Heathcote’s excellent article “Beauty and the Brutalists” is a cautionary tale of what happens when politicians meddle with building design. 

The UK BIM Alliance is delighted to announce a formal affiliation with The Concrete Centre and Mineral Products Association. The Concrete Centre provides material, design and construction guidance.

Would a modern twist on the Bauhaus vision help to inspire and transform, asks Elaine Toogood. The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen recently said that the climate transition needs its own ‘distinctive aesthetic’. She has vowed to set up a new Bauhaus movement to inspire architects and designers.