Published by BRE Trust

Concrete usage on the London 2012 Olympic Park

15/8/2012

How ODA’s supply strategy influenced the footprint of the Games

The embodied carbon of the concrete mixes supplied across the London 2012 Olympic Park was 33 percent lower than the UK construction industry average, according to a new report published by IHS BRE Press.

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) implemented a concrete supply strategy that addressed the core sustainability principles of the Games: minimisation of carbon emissions, water use and waste, and the sourcing of sustainable materials. The strategy set out specific requirements to ensure the environmental impact of construction works was kept to a minimum. These included:

  • Appointing single concrete suppliers for the Olympic Park and Village
  • Sourcing concrete via two on-site batching plants
  • Working with the supply chain to minimise transport impacts
  • Using secondary/recycled aggregates where possible
  • Incorporating fly ash and ground granulated blast-furnace slag as Portland cement replacements in concretes used.

This BRE report examines the influence of the concrete supply strategy on the overall carbon footprint of the London 2012 Games and also explores how the ODA addressed a variety of supply constraints. Outlining key lessons learnt from using sustainable concretes, the publication provides a unique insight for engineers, designers, architects, concrete manufacturers and regulatory authorities who will be able to apply the learning to future building projects.

Case studies on the construction of the Aquatics Centre and Olympic Village are also included in the report.

FB49: Concrete usage on the London 2012 Olympic Park was funded by BRE Trust and is available from 24 September 2012 from the BRE Bookshop.

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