Concrete from Grey to Green

Concrete Technology

Gammon Construction Limited has been involved in a wide range of

construction projects in Asia for over 50 years. We are the marketleading construction contractor in Hong Kong, where we are
headquartered, and also operate in China and Southeast Asia.
In 1980, Gammon established a department to produce ready-mixed
concrete that adds value for our customers. A trademark
was registered to characterise the departments products and services.
The department provides a variety of concrete solutions to customers.
We also combine concrete mix design and production control
technology to offer the best optimised concrete solutions to customers
concerned about sustainable development.

Concrete from Grey to Green

Concretes carbon footprint

Concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world.
The production of concrete, which requires the addition of cement, generates
carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. A small
reduction of 10% in the consumption of cement can make a significant difference
in protecting the environment.
Compared to conventional concrete mixes, the cement content of Gammon Green
Concrete is typically 10% lower.

1 Hysan Place is the first

building in Hong Kong to
achieve pre-certification of
the highest Platinum level
under LEED (Leadership in
Energy and Environmental
Design) of the US Green
Building Council
2 This residue concrete
recycling system used by
Gammon is a compact
system that washes,
separates and dewaters
concrete, and discharges
sand and aggregate
separately

3 On the Hysan Place project,

concrete raw materials used
for construction were all
manufactured within 800km
to minimise
the impact on the
environment
3

Concrete
Production

80

Tonnes
per month
1

Concrete from Grey to Green

Green solutions from Gammon

Gammon Green Concrete (GGC) is a high-performance concrete family that has
been developed to minimise its carbon footprint and increase durability.
GGC is designed to optimise the packing density of all the solid particles, including
cementitious materials and aggregates, so that the least amount of ordinary Portland
cement or cementitious materials can be used.
Supplementary cementitious materials (essentially waste from the generation of
electrical power or other manufacturing processes) are also added to further reduce
the amount of cement.
Both the addition of supplementary cementitious materials and the optimisation of
packing density substantially reduce the absorptivity and permeability of concrete,
thereby improving the durability of the concrete structures such as buildings, bridges
and tunnels.

Carbon
Reduction

10%

Concrete from Grey to Green

Example of optimising the packing density of

grade 100 MPa high-performance concrete
Cumulative particle size distribution of concrete constituent materials

100

Cumulative % finer than

Cumulative % finer than

10

1
100

0.1
10

0.01
1
0.1

10

100

1000

10000

100000

1000

10000

100000

Particle size m

Ordinary Portland cement

Fly ash
Condensed silica fume
20mm aggregate

0.1

10mm aggregate
Crushed rock fines
River sand

0.01
0.1

10

100
Particle size m

100

Ordinary Portland cement

Fly ash
Condensed silica fume
20mm aggregate

10mm aggregate
Crushed rock fines
River sand

Cumulative % finer than

10
Combined cumulative
particle size distribution of grade 100 MPa high-performance concrete

1
100

Cumulative % finer than

0.1
10

0.01
1
0.1

10

100

1000

10000

100000

10000

100000

m
Particle size

Actual mix design

0.1

Theoretical optimal packing curve

0.01
0.1

10

100

1000

m
Particle size

Actual mix design

Theoretical optimal packing curve

Concrete from Grey to Green

40,000
35,000

HK$/m

30,000

Gammon Green Concrete typical properties

25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000

GGC typically has a chloride diffusion value of lower than 2000 coulomb. When
needed, the concrete can be formulated to reduce the chloride diffusion value
to 500 coulomb or less. As a result, more durable buildings cut maintenance costs
significantly and their service life could be extended well beyond 50 years
the normal service life of buildings in Hong Kong.

0
HK$27,932.57/m

HK$35,047.94/m

100/20D
high-performance concrete

45/20D normal PFA

concreate

Life cycle cost comparison

Cumulative Present Value

Constant Dollars for Typical Column (HK$ per m)

40,000
35,000
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0

25

50

75

100

Year after construction

45/20D normal PFA concrete
100/20D high-performance concrete

1
1 The self-consolidating
concrete used for the Hong
Kong Shenzhen Western
Corridor project is capable
of being transported over
longer distances more
economically
2 The Hong Kong
Shenzhen Western Corridor
3 Gammons concrete
batching plant
4 The cable-stayed tower for
the Hong Kong Shenzhen
Western Corridor

Concrete from Grey to Green

125

Product range
A full range of GGC specifications
In the GGC family, concrete mixes have a carbon footprint per unit volume not
higher than 380 kg carbon dioxide equivalent.
The different types of GGC include various high-performance concretes such as
flowing concrete, high-strength concrete, high-durability concrete, self-consolidating
concrete and early strength concrete.
Concrete mixes can also be tailored for special applications upon request
(2 months lead development time required).

Normal Concrete
Normal concrete products are designed for general purpose applications such as
columns, walls, slabs, and caps of buildings and bridge structures.
These high quality products are manufactured to comply with local and international
standards or specifications.

High-performance Concrete
Gammons high-performance concrete products have been successfully applied in
many technically-demanding projects in Hong Kong.
- Flowing Concrete (Slump 190 mm)
- Tremie Concrete
- Very Long Slump Retention Concrete (Slump retention 10 hours)
- Early Strength Concrete (Cube strength 10 MPa in 12 hours)
- Very Early Strength Concrete (Cube strength 12 MPa in 4 hours)
- High-Strength Concrete (Ranged from Grade 65 to 100 MPa with
high workability)
- Self-Consolidating Concrete (Slump flow 700 mm)
- Crack Control Concrete

1
1 The pile cap works
for the Hong Kong
Shenzhen Western Corridor
2 Photomicrograph of Grade
100 MPa high-performance
concrete showing enhanced
aggregate-cement
paste interface
3 One Island East is an
example of a project
constructed with Grade
100 MPa high-performance
concrete. The high strength
property of Grade 100 MPa
concrete means less concrete
or rebar are needed. As a
result at One Island East, the
reduction in carbon footprint
per unit floor area per year
of sevice due to the higher
strength and durability
of the high-performance
concrete used is about 50%
3

Concrete from Grey to Green

Harnessing technology
In 2003, Gammon introduced an advanced Global Positioning System (GPS) Mixer Truck Tracking System to
manage its mixer truck fleet more efficiently. The system performs two basic functions: data transmission and
data storage/analysis. This technology offers the following benefits:
Real-time information, updated every 30 seconds, available to the operation team
Timely and accurate delivery information assures better responses to customer enquiries
and higher levels of customer satisfaction
Maximum efficiency
Reduced waiting time on site
Reduced communication time
Safer driving speeds
Accurate and reliable delivery of data

1 Gammons GPS
concrete truck
tracking system. Each
truck is equipped with
a GPS system to
improve logistics
2 The mixer truck fleet
on the road
3 Gammons mixer
truck fleet
4 A mixer truck fleet
delivering concrete on
a barge during the
construction of the Hong
Kong Shenzhen
Western Corridor

Concrete from Grey to Green

Residue fresh concrete recycling

Gammon understands the importance of environmental protection and has adopted sustainable practices in
every branch of its business. In Gammons concrete batching plant, the wastage from production and delivery
is processed by the use of a two-stage recycling system:
Separation in the concrete reclaimer stage
Dewatering in the slurry dewatering machine stage
After processing, the wastage is separated into aggregates, dewatered slurry and water. All these materials can be
re-used for other engineering purposes.

Residue
Fresh
Concrete

1st Stage
Treatment

Concrete Reclaimer

Recycled
Coarse
Aggregates

Recycled
Fine
Aggregates

Slurry

Recycled for other

engineering use

2nd Stage
Treatment

Slurry Dewatering Machine

Slurry
Cake

Slurry
Water

Send to local academic

institution to investigate
potential area for reuse

Reuse in
cleaning
works

Concrete from Grey to Green

Our award-winning operations

Certified to the Quality Scheme for the Production and Supply of Concrete
(QSPSC), ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 18001.
2007 Hong Kong Awards for Industries Technological Achievement Award.
2009 Occupational Safety and Health Award Excellent Performance in
Hearing Conservation.
2009 Occupational Safety and Health Award Excellent Performance in Prevention
of Pneumoconiosis.
2010 Occupational Safety and Health Council Good Housekeeping Promotional
Campaign 2009/10 Merit Award.

Concrete from Grey to Green

Reference projects
Major Civil Projects (over HK$1,000 Million)
2003-2006 Hong Kong - Shenzhen Western Corridor, Hong Kong
2003-2006 Deep Bay Link - Northern Section, Hong Kong
2003-2008 Route 8, Nam Wan Tunnel and West Tsing Yi Viaduct, Hong Kong
2009-2013 Reconstruction and Improvement of Tuen Mun Road - Eastern Section,

Hong Kong
2009-2014 MTR West Island Line, Kennedy Town Station and Overrun Tunnel,

Hong Kong

Major Building Projects (over HK$1,000 Million)

2003-2005 Bellagio Phase 2, Hong Kong
2006-2008 One Island East, Hong Kong
2007-2009 iSQUARE, Hong Kong
2008-2011 Tamar Development Project, Hong Kong
2009-2012 Hysan Place, Hong Kong
2009-2012 Centennial Campus, The University of Hong Kong

Major Foundations Projects (over HK$50 Million)

2003-2006 Hong Kong - Shenzhen Western Corridor, Hong Kong
2003-2006 Deep Bay Link - Northern Section, Hong Kong
2005-2006 Mixed Use Development at Lot B, Zone B, NAPE, Macau
2006-2007 PPC Piling and Bored Piling for Zone 4, City of Dreams at Cotai, Macau
2007-2009

LPM & ELS Works for Centennial Campus, The University of Hong Kong

2008-2009 Tseung Kwan O Complex at Area 44, Hong Kong

2008-2010 Tseung Kwan O at Area 85, Site A, Lot 90, Hong Kong
2008-2011 Tamar Development Project, Hong Kong
2009-2010 Kai Tak Development Site 1A, Phase 1 & 2, Hong Kong
2009-2010 Proposed Composite Development at 3 Chun Yan Street, Hong Kong
2009-2010 Reconstruction and Improvement of Tuen Mun Road - Eastern Section,

Hong Kong

For more information on our products or services, please contact:

Gammon Construction Limited

Concrete Technology Department
21 Chun Wang Street
Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate
Hong Kong
Tel (852) 2110 1880
Fax (852) 2964 0402
E-mail: concrete@gammonconstruction.com

is a registered trademark of the Concrete Technology Department under Gammon Construction Limited
Jointly owned by Jardines and Balfour Beatty