The heat is on – special cement for a special-needs building

(Photo: Alex Proimos/flickr)

Mace UK are building a new advanced imaging centre, known as the Extreme Photonics Applications Centre (EPAC), at the Harwell science campus in Didcot. The £81m project is for the UK’s Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC). Mace has used cement-free concrete for what it calls “one of the most technically challenging and complex concrete structures” to be built this year. The Extreme Photonics Applications Centre is under construction.

A unique concrete mix was designed for the project to support the complex technical building’s requirements.

Mace used 7,500m³ of structural concrete with a composition of 75% ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) instead of traditional Portland cement. A less carbon intensive alternative, this led to a 48% overall carbon reduction and a saving of 1,373 tonnes of carbon, the contractor said.

The composition of concrete mix was guided by specific experimental shielding properties that required the use of high density aggregates and a reduced cement content to minimise the risk of thermal cracks occurring as a result of the heat generated during the concrete curing process.

Click here to read the full article at The Construction Index.