Northern Ireland
life needs minerals
Key Issues
Concrete Built IS Better BuiltThe Concrete products industry is totally committed to reducing its environmental footprint by investing significantly in energy efficiency measures and new innovative sustainable products. Advances in concrete technology will help design and build an “A-Rated” home where in the future, as the energy and carbon efficiency of your home could affect your heating costs, rates, insurance and home re-sale value.
Sustainability has become an increasingly wide-ranging term, as our understanding grows of the many impacts that a project and its materials may have over their lifetime.
Specifiers must consider a long list of factors – embodied impacts, in-use performance, longevity and upfront costs against those of maintaining the building over its lifetime. Environmental impacts and benefits must be weighed with social and economic issues, all without losing sight of the essential functions that a project needs to perform – for example, providing a comfortable, safe, robust shelter.
Promoting the Use of Concrete
MPANI has established a Concrete Development Group with the sole aim of raising the market share of concrete in the wider construction industry and making it the construction material of choice. We have a very close liaison with our colleagues in the Irish Concrete Federation and wish to “cement” our relationship and partnership with the Concrete Centre.
We encourage our members to carry the Concrete Built IS Better Built logo on their truck mixers and delivery lorries.
The feedback, from what was an audience made up of architects and engineers, Housing Association Design teams and Construction Students from our two Universities was very positive.
Among these were the use of quality assured concrete and CE marked materials, promotion of responsible sourcing and environmental best practice, use of competent and qualified concrete layers on housing association sites.
We have agreed to hold regular quarterly liaison meetings, direct liaison with key personnel within the Housing Association design teams and procurement teams, facilitate regular engagement between HAs and MPANI members at a local level.
We recently hosted a number of site visits to concrete manufacturing sites in Toomebridge were Housing Association witnessed and learned about the manufacture and quality assurance testing of concrete products at Creagh Concrete, Acheson and Glover and Northstone.
MPANI have also met with Ulster Farmers Union members to discuss the new “Designated Concretes for Agriculture Guidance” and the importance of using quality assured concrete and contractors who are competent in laying exterior concrete. The MPANI Concrete Development Group were also consulted on the development of modern concrete specifications that will be applied to farm construction work funded by DAERA through the new Farm Improvement Scheme.
We would encourage all concrete manufacturers across Northern Ireland to come and join MPANI in our Concrete Built IS Better Built Strategy as we strive to increase market share for concrete products and make concrete the construction material of choice.
Useful links
- The British Precast Flooring Federation – precastfloors.info
- The Concrete Centre – concretecentre.com
- The Concrete Society – concrete.org.uk
- The Irish Concrete Federation – irishconcrete.ie
Useful downloads
- Concrete products are esential to our standard of living and quality of life…
- The Concrete Products Industry is totally committed to reducing its environmental footprint…
- Advances in concrete technology will help you design and build your sustainable, energy efficient home, office or school…
