Concrete concerns

Designers at the Building ResearchEstablishment of Hertfordshire inthe UK have carried the notion ofenvironment consciousness rightdown to the foundations of buildings. Crushed concrete is being usedin the construction of the EnergyEfficient Office of the Future inHertfordshire. The remains ofthe demolition of a 12-storey bankin London is being used in theconcrete for foundations, floor slabsand structural columns. Groundblast furnace slag, a byproduct ofthe iron industry is also beingused with concrete. These materialscan replace about 50 per cent ofthe portland cement in the twodifferent mixes.