More than 15 t of recycled expanded polystyrene have gone into the production of 20 000 of alternative building company Greenlite Concrete’s concrete blocks for use in the new Table Bay Mall that is under construction.
The 65 000 m² mall, which is expected to open in September, is located on a 20 ha site on the corner of the R27 and Berkshire Boulevard on the West Coast.
Vivid Architects and Group Five Construction specified Greenlite’s concrete blocks for use primarily on the fire escape passages, owing to the product’s fire rating.
“Over the past 18 years, we have been involved in the manufacture and installation of alternative building technologies. We were looking for a more environment-friendly way of implementing our insulated building systems when we started experimenting with recycled polystyrene as the basis for our energy efficient walling systems,” Greenlite technical adviser Hilton Cowie explained in a statement.
The blocks are made from recycled polystyrene which is used as a lightweight aggregate that is mixed with cement and additives to form insulated, soundproof, fireproof, water-resistant and lightweight concrete blocks and screeds.
“Because these blocks are lightweight, they are easy to move around the site and engineers saved weight loading onto the suspended concrete slabs,” Cowie said.
He noted that the manufacturing of these blocks has a direct and positive impact on recycling rates by diverting large volumes of post-consumer polystyrene from South Africa’s landfills.