For a sustainable future there is a concrete solution

There is a growing demand for new buildings to be more sustainable, as businesses face up to operating in a greener way.  However, taking a sustainable approach goes much further than simply looking at how a building operates on a daily basis. Understanding its materials, both with regards to what goes into their construction, and how they can be reused, is increasingly important.

It is no surprise that for concrete flooring contractors, this has presented somewhat of a challenge. It has certainly not been a negative progression though.

Concrete is well known for being a very energy intensive material to produce, yet the thermal efficiencies it affords lowers a building’s energy consumption significantly. Further than this, the latest advances in its composition are improving these efficiencies.

The way concrete is produced is undergoing significant changes to make the process less energy intensive too. Over the last two decades, the amount of CO2 emissions per tonne of material produced has dropped by about 17%, and things continue to improve.

As time goes on, concrete buildings themselves can also be readily adapted to meet most requirements at later dates for their new tenants. If not suited for refurbishment or reuse however, it is also an ideal recyclable material, whether a standard construct or reinforced.

It is down to the concrete flooring contractors themselves to responsibly source the greenest materials. However it is their customers, the construction companies, which can really help those that are taking a positive approach.

By looking to work with companies who have achieved the BES 6001 framework standard for responsible product sourcing, a truly sustainable future can be achieved.