What is Concrete?
Concrete is easily and readily prepared and fabricated in all
sorts of conceivable shapes and structural systems. Its great
simplicity lies in the fact that its constituents are ubiquitous
and are readily available almost anywhere in the world
1. As a result of its ubiquity, functionality and
flexibility it has become by far the most popular and widely used
construction material in the world 2.
The material concrete is often confused with the material
cement. Cement is one of the many constituents of concrete, part of
the glue that holds the other materials together. Concrete is made
by mixing cement, supplementary
cementitious
materials,
water, fine
aggregate (sand), coarse aggregate (gravel or
crushed stone) with or without
admixtures,
reinforcement, fibres or pigments.
The ingredients are proportioned and engineered to produce a
concrete of a specific strength and durability, so it is 'fit for
purpose' for the job for which it is intended. It can be produced
in the form of
precast products or as
ready-mixed concrete, which is delivered in the
familiar rotating concrete lorry.
There are literally thousands of sites throughout the UK from
which concrete can be sourced. One of the major sustainability
benefits of concrete is that it is almost entirely sourced from
within the UK, with most travelling less than 10 miles to the
construction site3.
Further information
To find out more about concrete products, please use the
following links:
References and further reading
1. Parrott, L, Cement, Concrete and Sustainability,
British Cement Association, 2002
2. Hawken, P, Lovins, E and Lovins, H, Natural Capitalism -
creating the next Industrial Revolution, Little Brown and Co,
1999
3. Concrete Industry Sustainability Performance Report: 2009
production, MPA - The Concrete Centre, 2010