Capital Concrete supply HS2 Central Section in London

Company providing specialist mixes for advanced tunnelling work from Euston to Old Oak Common

BRINGING their industry expertise and state-of-the-art batching capability, Capital Concrete are supplying the Skanska, Costain and Strabag (SCS) joint venture for their HS2 works in London. The supplied material will be crucial for advanced tunnelling works stretching from Euston to Old Oak Common.

The project’s ‘Central Section’ in London is being solely supplied by Capital Concrete, which represents roughly one third of the total concrete needed for HS2 in the capital.

Luke Smith, Capital Concrete’s managing director, said: ‘We’re delighted to have been asked to supply this critical infrastructure project. The client required a company that had considerable experience of large infrastructure projects in London, and the team at Capital Concrete have worked on some of London’s most prestigious and complex projects, which meant there was a lot of relevant expertise that we could bring.

‘In addition to having very experienced people with know-how, our state-of-the-art batching plants allow us to meet the high volumes of concrete required. The high-output plant at Wembley is well positioned to supply the tunnelling works, and being able to bring in material via rail means we can reduce the amount of road traffic on congested London roads.’

Capital Concrete have already supplied a substantial amount of material to the enabling works for the Central Section, including 952 cubic metres of concrete in a single pour, which involved more than 100 truck deliveries in a single shift.

However, the supply extends beyond sheer volume, as the specialist properties of the mixes themselves can also benefit the project, as Capital Concrete’s technical manager, Jack Sindhu, explained: ‘The use of high GGBS blend levels in mixes reduces the likelihood of any thermal cracking in the concrete and provides a low embodied carbon and sustainable concrete,’ he said.

‘The inclusion of limestone coarse aggregate is also beneficial for thicker cast sections, as it provides lower thermal conductivity in comparison with gravel and granite aggregates.’

Also being delivered to the project is Earth Friendly Concrete (EFC), a zero-cement geopolymer material, exclusively licensed for supply by Capital Concrete in London. Depending on the mix, EFC offers an improved saving in embodied carbon of up to 87%, making it an innovative way of meeting sustainability targets.

‘So far, we have supplied approximately 1,700 cubic metres of EFC to this project, which is primarily being used for the temporary piling mat and base slabs,’ said Mr Sindhu. ‘With HS2 contractors having been challenged by the Government to reduce their carbon footprint by 50%, ultra-low-carbon concrete is an important resource to leverage.’