The UK Directory » Concrete

Building Basements

admin — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 10:56:12 +0000

Home improvements and extending property has always been a popular way of increasing the value of domestic property. From something a simple as giving a room a coat of paint to major renovations and construction work there are levels of home improvement for all skills level and budgets. If space is a premium and you are not able to extend upwards or outwards then how about creating a basement? By creating a living space below your current residence you could greatly increase your living area and also the value of your house. The main problem with this is supporting the existing structure during the construction process and having a substructure that is capable of taking these loads. Many construction companies are now using precast concrete retaining walls to construct basement walls, which not only have excellent structural properties, but they also help to speed up the construction process.

Falmer Stadium

admin — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:41:43 +0000

Brighton and Hove Albion are due to have a new home in Flamer, near Brighton for the 20011-2012 season. The Falmer Stadium, which will be known as the American Express Community Stadium, is being built near the village of Falmer, next to the Birghton and Sussex Universities. The 22,500 all-seater stadium is being costructed by the Buckingham Group who began preparation work on the site in December 2008. The stadium required extensive excavation and aproximately 138,000 cubic metres of chalk was removed before construction could begin. Precast concrete retaining walls can be an excellent method of retaining earth after excavation has taken place.

Security Barriers

admin — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 11:32:19 +0000

Businesses have become the main victim from the current global economic crisis and the food and beverage industry have been hit especially hard. As the amount of disposable income that people have has decreased resulting in leisure activities and going out becoming an un-afordable luxury. Many towns and villages have also seen their local pubs close and property owners and managing agents are having to protect their vacant property from unwanted visitors taking up resident in empty property and parking areas. An efficient way to keep people out, is to block off entrances with a barrier or bollard. Many security companies offer concrete barries for sale and to hire which are a cost effective way of protecting your land.

Precast Concrete Products

admin — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 08:54:41 +0000

With the construction and house building industries fighting for survival in the UK and Ireland due to the recession, it is important that all aspects of construction are analysed to ensure they are as efficient as possible. The days of huge profits and open ended contracts are over and now companies need to be as competitive as possible and ensure projects are delivered on time and within budget. One way of saving time and money is to use precast concrete products instead of traditional insitu concrete pouring, this helps reduce the labour costs on site and also reduces build time as there is no drying time.

Agricultural Wall Panels

admin — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 11:48:49 +0000

Agricultural buildings can be used for a variety of uses. From machinery housing to grain storage barns, the applications for these buildings is endless. The majority of modern agricultural buildings are constructed using a steel frame covered in various materials to acheive a weather proof covering and in some applications a structural covering providing weight baring walls. A common product for covering the walls is prestressed concrete panels, these can not only provide an excellent weather proof cover, but they can also be used for retaining material such as grain or salt.

It’s Cold Outside…..!

admin — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 13:37:36 +0000

With the UK and Ireland experiencing another cold spell local authorities, highway agencies, airports and rail services are all struggling to maintain the travel networks across Britain. Over the last month we have experienced near artic temperatures of as low as -26 and some areas of Northern Island and North East Scotland have had several feet of snow. The general public and members of the opposition party are beginning to question the government’s strategy and if there is enough funding available to provide adequate resources to battle the snow and ice. Despite the Highways Agency and Local Authorities increasing their grit and salt storage capacity, including errecting new salt barns, many roads and motorways remain closed or dangerous to drive on.

Agricultural Buildings

admin — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 10:07:55 +0000

The modern day agricultural buildings must be capable of not only servicing a single purpose, such as grain storage, but it must also have the capability of becoming a multi-purpose building capable of change as a farm diversifies and evolves. Due to the financial problems faced by the agricultural industry in recent years caused by issues like; foot and mouth, flooding and the recession, it has become necessary for farmers to be more creative with ways that he can utilise his land and farm buildings to maximise his profits. The use of precast wall panels is an excellent product for creating a multi-use agricultural building as it will create a weather proof wall that can also retain materials. This flexibility enables farmers to erect buildings that can be used for many purposes, from livestock housing to grain storage and housing machinery. The addition of a freestanding concrete retaining dividing wall would increase the potential uses for an agricultural buildings as it will provide the potential to store a variety of arable products, or split the use of a building.

Newhaven Incinerator

admin — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 09:42:08 +0000

The controversial new Incinerator in Newhaven is starting to take shape and the final magnitude of the structure is now apparent. Construction of the new Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) began in 2008 despite fierce opposition from various groups including the friends of the earth, and over 15,000 letters have been received the council by local residents and public authorities concerned about its environmental impact.

Newhaven Energy Recovery Facility (ERF)

The Newhaven incinerator as part of a joint contract between East Sussex County Council, Brighton and Hove City Council and the waste management company Veolia. The project is being designed and constructed by HOCHTIEF and the Swiss process engineering company – von Roll Inova. Construction is due to be completed in late 2011.

The Energy Recovery Facility is expected to handle in the region of 210,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste each year, which will be incinerated in two conventional moving grate incinerators. The heat generated by this process will be harnessed in two vertical boilers, which will intern generate steam to drive a turbine. The incinerator is expected to generate approximately 16.5MW of electricity to the National Grid.

Concrete Barrier Hire

admin — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 10:34:05 +0000

There are many circumstances where a temporary barrier or security blockade is required and depending on the nature of the problem a concrete security barrier could be the perfect solution.

Concrete barriers are available in various shapes and sizes depending on its intended use. At the lower end of the spectrum would be a simple square precast concrete block, which could be placed into position for keeping unwanted visitors off a car park, or piece of land. At the opposite end would be a TVCB (Temporary Vehicle Crash Barrier) which are designed for taking an impact from a vehicle.

The majority of the time these barriers are only required on a short term basis, this is where concrete barrier hire becomes and excellent option as it allows companies to hire the concrete barriers for a period of time and then the hire company will collect the barriers once finished with.

Flood Defences

admin — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 08:48:39 +0000

With around 7,760 miles of coastline and thousands of miles of inland waterways, the UK faces an ever increasing risk of flooding especially with the effects of global warming. England and Wales has over 24,000 miles in total of flood defences currently in place and the environment agency estimates it will be spending £270 million creating additional defences.

One of the most common materials for creating flood defences is concrete, which is better than steel and other products as it is weatherproof and won’t rust. Reinforced concrete blocks and precast concrete retaining walls are an excellent solution for constructing breakwaters and flood defence walls.

The government is also keen to preserve the aesthetics of our coastal land and is trying find and expand more environmentally friendly and natural flood defence systems. The main example of this is by utilising salt-marshes and mudflats which allows seawater to flood these flatland areas without effecting populated areas.

There are many types of structures and physical barriers that can be used for flood defence which include; river embankments, concrete retaining walls, sluice gates, breakwaters and weirs. One of the most famous and iconic flood defence units is the Thames Barrier in London, which is an adjustable flood barrier that can be quickly altered to protect London in case of a flood.