A new upmarket commercial build in Edinburgh city centre benefited from Aggregate Industries’ innovative Lytag, when it came to helping to lighten its load. Located in the heart of the city’s Exchange District, the £24 million 2 Semple Street development has been designed to help alleviate the Scottish Capital’s chronic shortage of Grade A office accommodation.

The newly-opened building boasts 45,000 sq ft of cutting-edge office and retail space, over five storeys. In terms of the flooring specification the challenge for awarded concrete and screed specialists, Advance Flooring Solutions was to procure a concrete solution which would enable minimal size slabs and help reduce the overall dead load of the building.

The specialist then chose Lytag from Aggregate, which is a highly innovative lightweight concrete that can effectively reduce the dead load of approximately 25% over normal weight control, while offering the same level of structural performance.

“Lytag is a fantastic product which was well-matched to this high calibre project for the Scottish capital. Supported with a meticulous delivery plan, the concrete supply was first-class from Aggregate Industries – we’d like to pass on our thanks to all involved,” said Stephen McKenna, Commercial Manager at Advance Flooring Solutions.

In total, 744 m3 of Lytag was supplied for the completion of the five floors over the course of eight months. This was supported with a robust delivery framework ensuring that all batches arrived on time and to the exact specification – thus negating the risk of cold joints.

In production for more than 50 years, Lytag secondary aggregate is made using innovative technology which transforms fly ash into small pellets which are then heated to 1,100°C. The pellets formed are rounded in shape and range in size from 14 mm down to fines and can be used as a superior, consistent, lightweight aggregate.

Aggregate Industries is a leading company in the construction and infrastructure industries. It produces and supplies a wide range of construction materials including aggregates, asphalt, ready-mixed concrete and precast concrete products. It also produces, imports and supplies cementitious materials and offers a national road surfacing and contracting service.