Jeff Dyson

Head of Housing Solutions

The Concrete Centre

CONCRETE PERFORMANCE

CONCRETE PERFORMANCE

• Sustainability

• Thermal Mass

• Fire

• Acoustics

• Security

• Vibration

• Durability

• Air tightness

• Flood resistance

CONCRETE PERFORMANCE

• Sustainability

• Thermal Mass

• Fire

• Acoustics

• Security

• Vibration

• Durability

• Air tightness

• Flood resistance

SUSTAINABILITY

ENERGY PERFORMANCE TARGET 1990 - 2010

(Cement Specific Energy Consumption kWh/te )

1200

1250

1300

1350

1400

1450

1500

1550

1600

1650

1700

1750

1990 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Year

kWh/te cement

Target SEC kWh/te

Actual SEC kWh/te

Note: The mid-point has

been taken for non-

milestone years

Target commitment is

26.8% improvement from

1990 to 2010

Cement

Aggregates

Reinforcement

SUSTAINABILITYCement

Aggregates

Reinforcement

SUSTAINABILITYCement

Aggregates

Reinforcement

CONCRETE PERFORMANCE

• Sustainability

• Thermal Mass

• Fire

• Acoustics

• Security

• Vibration

• Durability

• Air tightness

• Flood resistance

THERMAL MASS

Admittance ≈ 0.9

Timber frame

Brick

Airspace

Plasterboard

Plywood

Insulation

Admittance ≈ 3.0

Brick, medium-weight

block & plasterboard

Brick

Airspace

Plasterboard

Insulation

Medium-weight block

Admittance ≈ 5.7

Brick, heavy-weight

block & dense plaster

Brick

Insulation

Heavy-weight

block

Dense plaster

Admittance is measured in W/m2 K

The inherent thermal mass in masonry

and concrete housing can help to:

1. minimise overheating; a growing 21st century problem linked to climate change

2. provide warmth in the winter by capturing solar gains (passive solar design)

Nightingale Estate, East London

Concrete dwellings, benefiting from passive

solar design in winter

Living Room Temperature of a Low and

High Mass House - Summer 2050(Arup/CIBSE research 2005)

Construction News 26 May 2005

“I like the argument, but I’d feel happier if someone could just check that theCO2 saving you get from a concrete building compensates for the large quantity of CO2 driven into the atmosphere when limestone is burnt to make cement”

The perception that concrete has a high embodied CO2 can

overshadow its thermal mass benefits…

Type: two-bed starter home

Location: south east England

orientation: south

Construction: ● timber frame● masonry (3 weights)

Arup was commissioned to calculate and compare embodied and In-use CO2 emissions from a low, medium and high thermal mass house

Calculated embodied CO2:

● Timber frame: 32 tonnes

● Masonry - mediumweight: 33.25 tonnes (1.25 tonnes more)

● Masonry - medium-heavyweight: 35 tonnes (3.0 tonnes more)

● Masonry - heavyweight: 37 tonnes (4.9 tonnes more)

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060

Year

CO

2 Emissions (tonnes)

Mediumweight: Additional embodied CO2

offset in 11 years

Medium-heavy & heavyweight:

Additional embodied CO2 offset in 21 to 23 years

Cumulative CO2 Emissions (air-conditioned case)

Light

Medium

Medium-heavy

& heavy

THERMAL MASS

Embodied CO2 in a concrete

houseSavings in operational CO2

emissions by having a

concrete house

� Passive FES: exposed soffits + night purging (15-20 W/m2 cooling)

� Active FES: controllable systems of ducted air (25-35 W/m2

cooling and beyond).

Toyota HQ, Surrey (courtesy of Barry Bulley/Trent Concrete Ltd).

THERMAL MASS

CONCRETE PERFORMANCE

• Sustainability

• Thermal Mass

• Fire

• Acoustics

• Security

• Vibration

• Durability

• Air tightness

• Flood resistance

FIRE PERFORMANCE

FIRE PERFORMANCE

Life Safety

Protection of goods/property

Protection of environment

• Half of businesses affected by fire

will not continue to operate

FIRE PERFORMANCE

Comprehensive fire protection with concrete

Life Safety

Protection of goods/property

Protection of environment

FIRE PERFORMANCE

Fire Design Criteria.

A: The structure should retain its

loadbearing capacity.

B: The structure should protect people

from harmful smoke and gases.

C: The structure should shield people

from heat.

CONCRETE PERFORMANCE

• Sustainability

• Thermal Mass

• Fire

• Acoustics

• Security

• Vibration

• Durability

• Air tightness

• Flood resistance

ACOUSTICS

5 primary ingredients that acousticians look for:

I s o la ti o n

MassAbsorption

STIFFNESS

ReSiLience

ACOUSTICS

4 unique complimentary ingredients:

I s o la ti o n (cavity walls)

MassDamping

STIFFNESS

ACOUSTICS

E1-Approved Robust Details:Separating Floors ACOUSTICS

ACOUSTICS

Acoustic report No P0818 REP01-IE

Floors : Airborne Passed 51>45dB

Impact Passed 50<62dB

65mm screed on resilient layer

200mm hollow core concrete

12.5mm plaster board on channel supports

Walls : Airborne Passed 50>45dB

2 layers of 12.5mm plaster board supported

by channel system with 70mm Isowool

150mm concrete panel

12.5mm plaster board on 38x25 battens

CONCRETE PERFORMANCE

• Sustainability

• Thermal Mass

• Fire

• Acoustics

• Security

• Vibration

• Durability

• Air tightness

• Flood resistance

SECURITY

CONCRETE PERFORMANCE

• Sustainability

• Thermal Mass

• Fire

• Acoustics

• Security

• Vibration

• Durability

• Air tightness

• Flood resistance