Sustainable products
Our products are highly versatile and through innovation and development are being used in a growing number of new applications.
Thermalite aerated concrete blocks contain up to 80 per cent recycled material (pulverised fuel ash). Thermalite was the first block to receive a Certified Environmental Profile and eco-points score from the Building Research Establishment (BRE), achieving an “A” rating in the Green Guide to specification. Its manufacturing operations are certified to the ISO 14001 standard and it offers high thermal insulation. A strict waste minimisation scheme ensures all surplus materials are either recycled into the next mix, used in other products or as an aggregate bulk fill replacement in road construction.
Formpave’s patented Aquaflow sustainable urban drainage system (SUDS) delivers immediate environmental benefits and financial savings compared to traditional drainage. It allows rain to pass through a permeable concrete block paved surface into a stone sub-base where it is cleaned by filtration and microbial action before being released into sewers or water courses.
Modern methods of construction
Hanson has developed factory-made products to meet the challenge of modern methods of construction. Off-site construction means waste is minimised, energy and water can be better controlled and safety risks are reduced.
Twinwall is a walling system which combines the benefits of precast and in-situ concrete. It comprises two slabs connected by cast-in lattice girders to form a single unit into which concrete is poured on site. It combines the speed and quality of precast concrete with the structural integrity of a continuously-poured in-situ structure. The system eliminates expensive formwork and allows installation rates of up to 100 square metres an hour.
Our Wonderwall system comprises of blackboard panels measuring 2400mm by 1200mm to which brick slips are fixed with adhesive. The system is assembled on site and laying rates of 20 square metres a day per team are achievable. Wondwerwall can be used up to a maximum height of 18m from ground level.
We constructed a “Hanson house” at the Building Research Establishment’s offsite 2005 exhibition at Watford to demonstrate the use of our products, and a further house was built for BRE offsite 2007. As a founding member of the UK Green Building Council, we will be at the forefront of new research and developments to reduce the environmental impact of new buildings.