A new Innovate UK and industry-funded project, LOCOWAG, will develop and assess (via laboratory testing and site pilots) innovative concrete formulations in which PC is replaced with AACMs.

The two-year project will be led by the AACM manufacturer DB Group (Holdings), together with J Murphy and Sons, Centrum Pile and BRE, which will carry out the laboratory testing essential for updating guidance. The newly launched Association of Alkali-Activated Cementitious Materials (A3 CM UK) will support by facilitating the supply of a broad range of AACMs for testing by BRE and facilitating stakeholder workshops.

The LOCOWAG project will demonstrate and de-risk the adoption of AACMs in foundations for buildings and infrastructure. It will carry out laboratory tests to assess durability, AACM-based concrete formulations in sulfate-rich conditions (and other key performance characteristics) and compare with those of PC-based and other concretes.

We will work with Standards bodies and key stakeholders to address Standards-related barriers to market uptake. An industry stakeholder group (with representation from regulators, manufacturers and end users) will help guide the development of outputs (eg, BRE documents) and address barriers to mainstream use. The project will assess and address barriers to market (especially the need for industry-wide guidance and acceptance, such as BS 8500 and BRE SD 1).