Fletcher Building’s Concrete Division (consisting of Firth, Golden Bay, Winstone Aggregates and Humes) has stepped up its commitment to developing innovative and increasingly sustainable concrete solutions, with the opening of New Zealand’s first commercial Concrete Innovation Lab, in Christchurch.
Fletcher Building CEO, Ross Taylor cut the ribbon to our new lab at the end of March boosting the team’s ability to confidently look to the future. “Our new Innovation Centre allows the Concrete Division to continue its strategic work to develop products and systems for a marketplace which is looking for Building Code compliance with improved environmental credentials,” says Dene Cook, Divisional Technical Manager, Concrete Division.
Concrete is an amazing and complex building material with intricate chemistry involved in every batch and one that has stood the test of time due to its strength and durability. “While Firth has concrete labs designed to assure product quality right across the country, the Innovation Lab is purely dedicated to product innovation. Our aim is to support customers as their building needs and specifications change,” adds Dene.
Established to fast track the development of new concrete products and solutions, 
the Innovation Lab has a particular focus on innovating to decarbonise concrete and be more sustainable. “Firth has made good progress with the introduction of the RibRaft Range (100% recyclable X-Pod) and EcoMixTM - Low Carbon Concrete - using Golden Bay Cement’s EcoSure Cement, which is significantly lower in embodied carbon than most cements around the world and certainly the lowest in the New Zealand market,” he says. “Yet we know the concrete products we use today are very unlikely to be the ones we use in 10-20 years’ time. Building for climate change is a huge imperative for generations to come and this requires us to invest in getting the solutions right today.”
Our team of concrete engineers, technologists and industry specialists from left to right: Trevor Sawyer, Dene Cook, Steve Schulte and David Mortimer.
“As an industry we have committed to decarbonising concrete, with the Global Cement & Concrete Association (GCCA), detailing a roadmap to net zero by 2050. Firth and Fletcher Building are excited by this challenge and the work we will do in the Concrete Innovation Lab will take this from a paper commitment to a reality.” Nick Traber, Fletcher Building’s Chief Executive, Concrete says, “Prioritising concrete innovation is crucial if we are going to succeed in decarbonising the built environment. We acknowledge that as an industry leader we have a responsibility to lead the way in innovating for a more sustainable future.”
Dene talking to the invitees at the opening.
“We are fortunate to have both the resources and people expertise, led by Dene Cook, to focus on improving the performance of this critical building material. Moreover, our Concrete Innovation Lab provides an environment for our team to be bold and creative so we can bring new products to the market quicker than ever before. In short, it represents an exciting opportunity to solve real-world challenges and improve the world around us.”