How the construction industry must respond to sustainability through GRP innovation

Key Highlights:

• GRP offers significant benefits over the more traditional materials – most notably strength, durability, ease of handing and affordability - proving an innovative and sustainable solution.
• The reduction in possession times on major construction projects through the use of GRP, particularly on walkways and drainage, is enabling the industry to achieve more for less.
• Lionweld Kennedy remains committed to driving GRP innovation and being part of the transformative impact GRP and composites are having across many industries.

The construction industry is under increasing pressure to produce durable, environmentally considerate solutions that enable a stronger, lighter and quicker build and at Lionweld Kennedy - using GRP Composites - we have witnessed some exciting results across a range of projects including offshore wind, construction and rail.

As a business, Lionweld Kennedy made a firm commitment to reach carbon net zero by 2040 and developed a Carbon Reduction Plan to demonstrate how we would achieve this target and reduce our carbon emissions in the short-term. Our net zero target for 2040 was successfully reached in 2023, 17 years ahead of schedule. Featuring heavily in this is the increased use of GRP and replacing more traditional materials with those that lower carbon footprint and minimise environmental impact across the construction industry.

Across our industries, GRP offers significant benefits over the more traditional materials – most notably strength, durability, ease of handing and affordability - and is proving an innovative and sustainable solution for a range of key construction projects. Alongside this, the reduction in possession times on major construction projects through the use of GRP, particularly on walkways, platforms, gulleys and drainage, is proving that this low weight, ease-of-use technology is enabling the industry to achieve more for less.

These significant benefits across the built environment are seeing many major asset owners harnessing this innovation and increasingly demanding that GRP is used across retrofit, reinforcement and new build projects.

This demand for GRP innovation means that, across our product range, we are consistently looking at how we innovate this material to provide the lightweight, high mechanical strength, chemical and corrosion resistant, temperature stable solution demanded of manufacturers.

Composite GRP offers many major benefits over traditional construction materials in terms of strength, durability, manoeuvrability and cost and Lionweld’s continued innovation across this product suite is demonstrating specific properties that make composite GRP suitable for multiple applications and across multiple environments.

These include anti-slip qualities that provide the maximum amount of slip resistance and where innovations in GRP flooring products – including the gritted top surface – have produced a GRP solution offering exceptionally high slip resistance.

Its non–corrosive benefits avoid the integrity of products being compromised through spillages and leaks and the safety of workers and users is fully protected.

Lionweld’s innovation in composite GRP can replace metal grating, flooring, hand rails and treads and where products have been specifically designed to mitigate sparks.

The use of mesh composition manufacturing – utilising an open grate surface - and which can be used across multiple levels with integrated drainage for spillage and leaks.

Seamless installation with the development of GRP complimentary fixing systems and accessories that enable GRP products to be installed quickly and simply for either temporary or permanent solutions.

With GRP product ranges that already prove over twice as effective as steel grating and over three times more effective than solid top steel flooring in terms of slip resistance, Lionweld’s GRP flooring ranges are proving that when assessed under British Standard Test BS4592, the slip resistance of these products far outweighs traditional steel material.

Recent GRP innovations, including our Flowtread Pultruded Grating, are now also providing the construction industry with a moulded GRP system capable of achieving longer spans and higher load capacities with a phenolic option also available that meets BS476 Part 7 Class 0, US Coastguard level II approval and section 12 of London Underground standards for low smoke and toxicity.

And our innovation continues in partnership with leading academics through Teesside University and the Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) where new product development is already in advanced stages. This development will not only harness the significant benefits composites bring to the construction industry, but will also bring to market significantly increased sustainability and environmental advantages that will further optimise material efficiencies and improve cost effectiveness, all whilst achieving the ambitious carbon targets that are demanded of construction projects.

As the construction industry seeks more transformative advancements in material science and products that offer innovative solutions and new possibilities, innovation in GRP is now integral to modern architecture and construction. GRP composites are revolutionising building designs in their flexibility, design innovation, potential for sustainability and energy efficiency and as manufacturers, Lionweld Kennedy remains committed to driving this innovation and being part of the transformative impact GRP and composites are having across our industries.