Learning Legacy Podcast – Episode 3: Reducing and Reusing

Engineering Matters

HS2’s place within the current climate and environment has always been its top priority. Once operational, the British-built bullet trains will provide zero-carbon journeys between the UK’s two largest cities, Birmingham and London.

Episode 3 explores how HS2’s railway assets have been designed from the start with climate change resilience in mind, as well as utilising waste clay from tunnelling, and how it can be transformed into low carbon concrete.

Featuring:

• Kay Hughes – HS2 Design Director
• Alison Walker – HS2 Climate Change Manager
• Dr Rachel Allison – HS2 Climate Change Specialist
• Nick Podevyn – Align Innovation Manager
• Athina Papakosta – SCS Sustainability and Carbon Lead
• Dr Fragkoulis Kanavaris – ARUP Concrete Materials Lead
• Apostolos Tsoumelekas – SCS Materials Engineer
• Tom Burr-Hersey – HS2 Senior Environmental Manager

Kay sets the scene with how the project is being delivered with the future in mind, achieving sustainability from as early as the design stage and maintaining it through strong communication.

Alison and Rachel take us through all things climate when it comes to construction of the project. ‘The 4R’s of resilience’, the planning towards weather conditions by using multiple climate models, and how much climate adaption is front and centre from design all the way through to operation.

Nick focuses on the construction of the Colne Valley Viaduct with Align’s giant launch girder. Combating issues with wind, rain and heat to ensure the construction schedule isn’t affected and the use of MetSwift weather models.

Athina, Fragkoulis, Apostolos and Tom dive into the reuse of London Clay to reducing climate impact by cutting transport emissions related to removing the material. The possibility of excavated London Clay being turned into local concrete, it could also reduce the embodied carbon emissions.

‘l think a project of this scale has so many different aspects and things that need to be thought about. And I think as Allison said, it was no one person can do all of this. So having it all set out, make sure that it is considered and it doesn’t get lost in the scale of the project.’

– Dr Rachel Allison

To find out more about HS2’s Learning Legacy Programme, click the link below

Homepage – HS2 Learning Legacy

Papers featured in this epsiode

Delivering a climate change resilient railway – HS2 Learning Legacy

Transformation of London clay into construction resources: Supplementary cementitious material and lightweight aggregate – HS2 Learning Legacy

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