Optiroc LWA Pays Dividends

Edited by the Buildingtalk editorial team Nov 17, 2003

Easy installation and significant time savings are just two of the benefits that Optiroc LWA lightweight aggregate has brought to the reflooring of a Northeastern and Cumbrian Co-op stores.

Optiroc LWA acts as both infill and insulation and dramatically cuts both the labour and time needed to create foundations.

It was delivered to the Esh Winning site in lightweight, easily handled 50-litre sacks which were laid directly into the floor void in a simple, quick and clean operation.

Laying the bags in this way and then infilling the small voids between them with loose Optiroc LWA can create foundations which comply with Part L of the Building Regulations without the need for additional insulation.

A membrane was then added ready to accept the final flooring screed.

The whole process took just a fraction of the time that would have been required to bring in conventional hard core, and the clean efficient nature of laying pre-bagged Optiroc LWA allowed the floor to be refurbished in five separate phases.

This enabled the store to remain open - a key factor as the store represents an important resource for local residents.

Over 1,000 bags of Optiroc LWA were used at Esh Winning, each weighing just 15kg.

For larger floor areas or deeper voids, loose Optiroc can also be blown in via a pneumatic hose to increase the speed of laying, which again offers significant speed and handling advantages over conventional hardcore.

The consultant engineers for the Esh Winning project were David Pennington and Associates, with Cameron Builders (Newcastle) Ltd acting as the main contractor.