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Why we need a long term view in a short term world

28 Feb 2022

There are no shortage of headlines about distractions in British politics at the moment. The Partygate scandal was recently cited as the reason that embodied carbon was not given enough airtime by senior MPs during a Ten Minute Rule Bill debate led by backbenchers.

How concrete acts as a carbon sink

21 Feb 2022

A new study looks at how the material absorbs CO2, writes Elaine Toogood. Carbonation is a process where concrete naturally absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere throughout its lifetime, at end of life and in secondary use.

New alliance reinforced concrete industry’s voice

31 Jan 2022

Britain’s structural concrete contractors have formed a new strategic alliance with concrete producers, strengthening the industry’s voice on key issues like safety, standards and sustainability.

Ways to reduce the carbon footprint of concrete

24 Jan 2022

What are the alternatives to cement and how easy are they to specify? Matt Massey of Derwent London, Elaine Toogood of The Concrete Centre, and Peter Laidler of Structure Workshop discuss how carbon emissions associated with concrete can be cut dramatically by using alternatives to cement.

Highs and lows

10 Nov 2021

Rather than stipulate a certain proportion of ggbs, say, ask for the lowest carbon mix for your particular application. The UK was the scene of a world-first last month, when a cement kiln at Hanson’s Ribblesdale plant in Lancashire was operated using a wholly net-zero fuel mix.

Carbon savings – it’s all about the timing

07 Oct 2021

For many years now, the main aim of government energy policy in the built environment has been to drive down demand; a simple strategy for cutting carbon that continues to make good sense, although with increasing wind and solar power supplying the UK, things are no longer quite so straightforward.

UK cement industry sets out roadmap to "go beyond net-zero" by 2050

21 Sep 2021

UK producers are trialling new types of cement production methods and testing low-carbon concrete recipes in a bid to eliminate carbon emissions and become a net-zero industry. The moves are part of a roadmap that identifies seven ways of decarbonising the industry.

2021 Structural Concrete Student Competition Winners Announced

19 Aug 2021

The Concrete Centre’s annual student Structural Concrete competition, in partnership with Laing O’Rourke, has been won by Ashley Andersen from the University of Surrey. The 2021 competition challenge for teams of engineering students was to design a civic centre comprising a library and council offices in a new garden town in the north west of England.

Building regulations need to address overheating in new homes

22 Jun 2021

The newly published Independent Assessment of UK Climate Risk from the Climate Change Committee calls for the updating of building regulations to address overheating in new homes. To address this, a number of key actions are identified, which The Concrete Centre fully support.

How can we decarbonise concrete?

15 Jun 2021

World Environment Day on 5 June presents us all with an opportunity to evaluate our environmental footprints and the daily measures we must take as individuals, businesses and industries to decarbonise and encourage biodiversity, says Elaine Toogood.

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