Turning subsoil into an aggregate replacement is already cutting carbon, cost and waste on new housing estates. So how have housebuilders stolen a march on big infrastructure?
National Highways has set a plan to achieve net zero carbon for maintenance and construction of roads by 2040. That is now just 16…
Tag Archives: Materials
Researchers transform sugarcane by-product into slabs and bricks
A new low carbon construction material made from sugarcane by-product is emerging as a promising sustainable alternative to concrete and bricks.
Sugarcane is the world’s largest crop by production and bagasse is what is left when sugar juice is extracted from it. According to international science journal Industrial Crops and Products,…
Innovative Thinker | Embodied carbon regulation needed to accelerate the built environment’s decarbonisation
Embodied carbon regulation is required to accelerate the decarbonisation of the built environment, says Institution of Structural Engineers head of climate action Will Arnold.
The UK Green Building Council’s (UKGBC’s) Net Zero Whole Life Carbon Roadmap for the Built Environment was published at COP26 in 2021. It was the latest industry-led…
Your View | High Speed 2, basalt rebar
Support for HS2 Midlands Link I support High Speed 2 (HS2) and see the private sector redevelopment of Euston as a way of keeping public expenditure within a fixed ceiling. I hope that is what Labour leader Kier Starmer had in mind when he said that [bringing back the full…
Watch: Using advanced materials in infrastructure
This video is from NCE TechFest 2022. National Composites Centre construction lead Neil Appleton discusses the current landscape in material innovations and examines the technologies that are striving to make changes within the industry. Discover more about the innovations and technologies that are working to advance decarbonisation of infrastructure…
Positive signs for construction despite output falling for first time in 18 months
Construction output declined last month for the first time since January 2021 but materials price pressures are starting to level off, according to data collected by industry analysts.
The July edition of UK Construction PMI, compiled by S&P Global and the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, shows that residential and…
Editor’s Comment | Innovation must be paced, not raced
NCE is continuing to mark its 50th anniversary at its live events this year, with keynotes that look back over the last 50 years and others that look forward to the next 50. The insight into the challenges ahead has been fascinating but one point that has stood out for…
Your View | Net Zero, Stonehenge Tunnel, smart motorways, Great Musgrave Bridge
Over the last 10 years and in the lead up to COP26, the term “net zero” has become ubiquitous in all our information media. But what exactly does it mean? One definition is “it refers to the balance between the amount of greenhouse gas produced and the amount removed from…
NCE at 50 | How predictions from 25 years ago stood the test of time
NCE’s 25th anniversary supplement made predictions for what the world of civil engineering would look like in 2022 – how did those forecasts hold up?
In NCE’s 8 May 1997 issue, the news team reported that the base slab pour at Westminster station on the Jubilee Line Extension had been completed,…
Industry development | How FM Conway is pioneering the circular economy
Materials science and technology can only take us so far when it comes to recycling construction waste. to take it further, industry attitudes must change and standards must evolve.
Today, with the climate emergency, few would question why you would try to recycle and reuse construction waste. But 40 years ago…