Carbon Reduction Award
Firth leading the way in sustainability with a win at the NZ Concrete Awards
Firth achieved a major industry milestone when awarded the ‘Carbon Reduction Award’ at the NZ Concrete Awards held in September, for our contribution to Fletcher Living’s LowCo home, with the supply of EcoMix low carbon concrete and EcoPave permeable paving.
Fletcher Living’s LowCo (low carbon) pilot scheme home at Waiata Shores in Auckland showcases the commitment of Fletcher Living (along with Firth) to a sustainable future. By using seven times less carbon and half the electricity and water of a standard home, LowCo sets a new benchmark for low-carbon living in New Zealand by achieving an unprecedented Homestar 10 rating.
“The LowCo house for Fletcher Living was an overall eco drive across all materials and energy efficient performance,” explains Rob McKinnon, Materials Manager (Northern) for Firth. “This required us to produce a minimum of EC34 to achieve the rating required. Our standard concretes have a high EC rating but we added Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCM) to the mix to allow us to reach the EC34 requirement. We investigated both flyash and Ground Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag (GGBS) options, eventually deciding on the GGBS for the house slab.”