Willmott Dixon, FACE Brickwork and others have joined forces to highlight eco-friendly building materials with a demonstration wall
The eco-friendly demonstration wall showcases some of the latest developments in environmentally-conscious building, from cement-free mortar and battery operated plant, to recyclable mortar boards and progressive building practices.
Built on the site of Willmott Dixon’s new Spelthorne Leisure Centre, an energy-efficient Passivhaus leisure centre, the project aims to highlight not only sustainable materials but collaborative building practice.
Willmott Dixon, FACE Brickwork, Grayson, Speedy Hire and Cemfree collaborated on the demonstration wall.
Proving that eco-friendly alternatives are great in both theory and practice
Keir Dixon of FACE Brickwork had the idea to build a wall that doesn’t divide, but brings together different facets of the construction industry: “I knew there would be a lot of influential visitors to Spelthorne Leisure Centre as it’s such a ground-breaking project.
“If they could see the demonstration wall and what’s possible, it might inspire other construction teams to start making change happen. We’ve already had positive comments from experienced construction professionals that didn’t know some of these green-alternatives even existed.”
Eco-friendly building materials do not have to compromise on quality
“The biggest issue for the construction industry is that it’s a high impact sector, so small changes do make a material difference…everyone has to play their part to give us a chance of having a planet that’s worthy of handing down to the next generation” says Alistair Donaghey, regional head of SHE from Willmott Dixon.
Cemfree’s Masonry Mortar is a sustainable alternative to Portland cement, cutting the CO2e emissions by up to 70%. Combining this with the zero-emission battery-powered mixer from Speedy Services in the construction of the demonstration wall creates a building process that is kinder to the environment with a high quality end product.
Tony Higson of Grayson, the leading consumables supplier who have produced the first 100% recyclable mortar board, added: “We’re delighted to be supporting this meaningful project. Offering eco-friendly construction methods does not mean compromising on quality, that’s a really important message for us.”
Katie Wills; major accounts manager of Cemfree, manufacturer of cement free alternative binder, praised this demonstration, saying that “when Keir Dixon of FACE Brickwork contacted us about the demo wall, we thought this was a great idea in demonstrating true collaboration with likeminded innovative companies.”
