Concrete

Concrete is easily and readily prepared and fabricated in all sorts of conceivable shapes and structural systems. It is used in the realms of infrastructure, habitation, work and play. 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 no further than 10-15 miles to the construction site.  
 
The UK concrete sector is a vital component of the UK economy. It directly employs over 40,000 people, and supports a construction industry that employs approximately 7% of the UK population 3 and accounts for approximately 10% of the UK's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) 4.
 
This section of the website is broken down into three key areas:
  1. The constituents of concrete
  2. Concrete production processes
  3. Environmentally certified products

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. United Kingdom National Accounts (The Blue Book), Office for National Statistics - Cement, Concrete and making the link: climate policy and the reform of the construction industry, Energy Policy no. 31, 2003, 2004

4. Sustainable development and the cement and concrete construction sector - interim report, British Cement Association, 2003