Richard Kershaw, technical manager, CEMEX UK, shares key highlights from the Innovation Hub at UK Construction Week, with a range of topics that future-forward climate action across the industry and the road to Net Zero...
CEMEX hosted the Innovation Hub at UK Construction Week, London, last month (3-5 May 2022), co-located with the Concrete Expo and supported by the Concrete Society and Structural Concrete Alliance. With the overarching event theme dedicated to ‘culture change in construction’, the Innovation Hub, was clearly focussed on showcasing inventions designed to change the construction industry.
Over 4,600 attendees with a vested interest in the production and use of concrete were in attendance at Concrete Expo, attracting a wide range of sectors and professions with a large presence from contractors, housebuilders and developers, architectural firms, local authorities, and housing associations.
Following three days of hot topic discussion at the Innovation Hub, CEMEX led robust debates on concrete innovation and the key drivers for change. Key outputs from the sessions included conversations around lower carbon and sustainable construction, quicker programme times and stronger concretes leading to thinner elements. In addition, the ongoing need to move the industry towards a universal approach to BIM and how to best utilise BIM objects came under the spotlight, as well as Offsite construction and 3D printing.
In hot pursuit, discussions were held around future considerations for concrete design and supply, reducing water consumption and changing from the current 28-day compliance period for compressive strength to 56 days and beyond to encourage the use of lower carbon concretes.
Topics also included how to get the best from recycled aggregates and crushed concrete aggregates, looking at alternatives to GGBS and fly ash, calcined materials, natural pozzolans, lagoon ashes and slags. The event also highlighted the latest developments in ternary cements, combining clinker, limestone powder and additions.
The subject of digital measurement in concrete to test product consistency was discussed in relation to reducing manual handling risks and waste, plus the use of self-healing concretes. In particular, to reduce the amount of reinforcement required to control crack widths, leading to a reduction in maintenance costs and therefore prolonging the use of the structure.
CEMEX looks forward to continued debates and extended conversations in these leading fields of innovation and development that lead to collaborative efforts to future-forward climate action across the industry and the road to Net Zero.
