CONSTRUCTION & FOUNDATIONS

Keltbray installs first ever permanent works pile using Cemfree material

Keltbray Piling achieved a new landmark for the UK construction industry in November by installing the first ever permanent works pile using a zero cement concrete, Cemfree.

 Keltbray installing Cemfree piles

Keltbray installing Cemfree piles

Working for Taylor Wimpey, on its new housing development in Mount Pleasant, London, Keltbray is installing a secant wall and bearing piles for main contractor Bouygues.

The Cemfree material, developed and manufactured in the UK by the DB Group, is an ultra-low carbon alternative to traditional cement concrete. It has the structural characteristics of traditional concrete and is more sustainable as it is more resistant to chloride ingress and requires fewer construction joints and less crack-control steel when used within key structural elements.

Stuart Norman, managing director of Keltbray Piling, said: "Using Cemfree in the piled foundations over traditional concretes has the potential to save up to 80 per cent in embedded carbon. These works have been a part of a growing collaboration effort with our industry partner, the DB Group, which manufactures the Cemfree binder product. This is Keltbray's fifth project where we have used Cemfree but only the first time we have used it for permanent works and so far we're delighted with the results."