Laing O’Rourke has won government support to decarbonise manufactured concrete components after securing a grant from the UK’s Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF).
The IETF, which is managed by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), is designed to help businesses cut their energy usage and carbon emissions by investing in energy efficiency and low carbon technologies.
The ‘Decarbonising manufactured concrete’ project involves a study into carbon reduction at Laing O’Rourke’s Centre of Excellence for Modern Construction in Steetley, Nottinghamshire.
Laing O’Rourke will investigate the production process, from the use of low carbon concrete, steel and aggregate materials and technologies, to the systems used to create formwork and cure products. It will work in a consortium with experts from the University of Cambridge and the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC).
The objectives of the project are twofold: to apply new lower carbon materials and processes to reduce the embodied carbon in finished products, including columns, walls, floor slabs, and architectural facades used in built assets; and to decarbonise the operation of the facility. After initial scoping work to quantify, prioritise and define decarbonisation interventions, the consortium will conduct feasibility trials for each intervention.
Dr Chris Millard, R&D leader, Europe at Laing O’Rourke, said: “We are delighted to have secured this government backing and are excited to have started work on the project. Advances in this area are essential to help reduce the carbon impact of the built environment, which accounts for 45% of UK greenhouse gas emissions. The project could also be a catalyst for the implementation of the government’s Construction Playbook, which sets out policies to increase the use of manufacturing in construction, to boost productivity and deliver better, faster and greener public buildings and infrastructure. Our vision is to put any developments to work across our global business, and to share learnings that build on overall sustainability efforts across engineering and construction.”
