No lie as Aggregate’s Lytag shines for super hospital

15 Feb 2018

Aggregate Industries‘ Lytag® has proved the ideal solution for assisting specification alterations for the construction of the new Midlands Metropolitan Hospital.

Labelled Birmingham’s newest ‘super hospital’, the £370m facility meets the highest international and national standards, with efficient delivery of high-quality clinical services for patients very much at the forefront.

Due to open this year, the hospital is set to provide 669 acute care beds and 13 operating theatre suites, at its new home on Grove Lane, Smethwick.

Integral to the whole project is a focus on sustainability, with the building picked out to be in the top 10% of non-domestic buildings for sustainable performance, achieving a BREEAM rating of very good or higher when finished.

In preparing to commence works, the specification of the 5th floor transfer slab within the building design presented a challenge for the architect; therefore, Aggregate Industries specified a single sheet insulation 300kpi board with a 120mm Lytag base and 50mm a semi-dry cementitious screed topping.

This created a super lightweight heavy duty floor screed, curing noticeably quicker than any other option. As an additional benefit, Lytag, being a secondary aggregate and half the weight of natural aggregate, will boost the project’s green credentials.

Steve Curley, general manager at Lytag, said it was another ‘great example’ of how the lightweight properties of Lytag have provided a solution for a project of this magnitude.

In production for over five decades, Lytag secondary aggregate is made using innovative technology which turns fly ash into small pellets, which are then heated to 1,100°C.

The pellets formed are rounded in shape and range in size so they can be used as a superior, consistent, lightweight aggregate.

Visit the Aggregate Industries website