Aggregates Industries help create Hope Sculpture

Bespoke low-carbon ECOPact Max+ concrete used to create iconic sculpture at COP26

ECOPact Max – part of Aggregate Industries’ lowest-carbon range of concrete – has been used to create the iconic Hope Sculpture, unveiled in Glasgow today during COP26.

A collaboration between four principle build partners – Aggregate Industries, Ramboll, Urban Union and Keltbray – the Hope Sculpture is the centrepiece of three public art installations by artist Steuart Padwick. It is a showcase of how the construction industry can drive better and more sustainable building in the transition to net zero.

ECOPact Max has been used to create the project’s columns and pile caps. This high-strength, green concrete solution without CEM I, offers a minimum 70% CO2 reduction compared with a standard (CEM I) concrete mix. To meet the desired sustainability credentials for the Hope Sculpture itself, Aggregate Industries developed a bespoke ECOPact Max+ product which included 20% recycled glass. This was manufactured locally at Aggregate Industries’ network of plants in Scotland.

Throughout the project, Aggregate Industries’ technical experts, assisted by Master Builders Solutions, worked in close partnership with the project team to create a range of bespoke solutions to meet the brief. Solutions have included the addition of pigments into the concrete mix to achieve a bespoke colour for the statue’s different component parts.

In addition, specific aggregate types have been used in the mix to create the exposed rustic finish in the design of the statue, which includes a light-coloured 4/14 aggregate from Skye and recycled glass. These aggregates were exposed through power washing at the precast works to create the desired finish.

Aggregate Industries chief executive officer Dragan Maksimovic said: ‘As an industry, reducing carbon emissions has long been a goal – and as a business, we are transforming globally, and locally, to become a leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions.

‘One of the ways we are doing that is through the development of our ECOPact ‘green concrete’ products, which draw on new technology, our world class R&D facility, and local expertise to create a range of low-carbon concrete products including our ECOPact Max product – a sustainably viable, green solution for the Hope Sculpture.

‘We are delighted to be a trusted partner of this iconic project. The sculpture serves as a powerful reminder of our collective responsibility to achieve global environmental milestones, which go well beyond COP26, as well as an iconic piece of concrete art that showcases low-carbon, sustainable solutions at their very best.’

The Hope Sculpture is one of three public art installations now in situ across Glasgow. The 23m sculpture is located at Cunigar Loop, part of Clyde Gateway, while the 4.5m ‘Beacon of Hope’ is located at the city’s Glasgow Central Station, and the 3.5m Hope Triptych is located at the University of Strathclyde’s Rottenrow Gardens. Visitors will be encouraged to access the sculptures via a walking and cycling route that connects the pieces.