NORTHERN IRELAND: Lafarge has helped make history by supplying 1700 tonnes of cement for the largest single concrete pour ever to take place in the province.
Belfast's historic Titanic Quarter is undergoing a £15bn redevelopment, led by Harcourt Developments. The new concrete foundations represent the base of the £97m Titanic Signature Project which will mark the centrepiece of the 185-acre scheme.
The foundations of the centrepiece for Belfast's new Titanic Quarter required a single pour of over 4200m3 of concrete.
Lafarge Cement's Northern Ireland operation supplied cement to Stevenson Concrete and Stoneyford Concrete, who managed the pour.
Lafarge Cement's CEMblend 50 was specified for the landmark project, due to its low heat generation, which minimises risk of thermal cracking - vital where the concrete base is particularly thick.
This cement is a 50:50 blend of ordinary CEM I and ground blastfurnace slag; the blend of cement with slag reduces the CO2 emitted during manufacture therefore also supporting the project's sustainability credentials.
Lafarge is supplying 3000 tonnes of CEMblend 50 for three further concrete pours during January and February.
The Titanic Quarter project is set for completion in 2012, to mark the centenary of the launch of RMS Titanic from its Belfast birthing station.
