Specialist concrete supplied to Deansgate Square

We are entering the final stages of our contract to supply specialist concrete to Renaker for its Deansgate Square development in Manchester.

Our Owen Street plant in the city has supplied 110,000 cubic metres for use in the walls, floor, foundations and columns. 

Once completed in Spring 2020, Deansgate Square will consist of four glazed towers – the tallest of which will be 64 storeys high and the tallest building in the UK outside London – providing more than 1,500 luxury apartments and leisure facilities.

“We have designed and delivered a range of different concretes to overcome the engineering challenges of the project,” said Hanson Concrete technical services manager Terry Balmer.

“These include high performance concretes providing strength in excess of 100N/mm2 in the lower columns; watertight derivates in the basement and bespoke designs containing 70 per cent Regen GGBS in the foundations and raft bases.”

All of the concretes were also designed to be able to be pumped more than 300 linear metres across the site and, for the walls, up to 204 metres vertically.

Regen GGBS (ground granulated blastfurnace slag) is a cement replacement product which enhances the durability of the concrete while adding to its sustainability credentials. The percentage of Regen used in the concrete mixes varied from 40 per cent in the main structural elements to 70 per cent in the foundations and raft bases, where its use also helped minimise the production of heat, reducing the risk of thermal cracking.

“We have a proven track record in delivering challenging, specialist concretes for Renaker on other high rise builds across Greater Manchester, so we were the go-to choice for the Deansgate Square project,” added Terry.