Holcim UK Supplies Sustainable Concrete Mix for Smithfield Lofts Development




 

Holcim UK has won a competitive tender to supply sustainable readymix concrete to the luxury Smithfield Lofts development in Digbeth, Birmingham’s Creative Quarter.

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The Smithfield Lofts residential apartments, managed by principal contractor Prosperity Wealth, form part of the wider £1.9 billion Smithfield regeneration scheme in the city. The masterplan site, which is managed by Lendlease in a joint venture with Birmingham City Council, stands where the previous Birmingham Wholesale Market was located in the city centre.

The loft-style residences bring indoor and outdoor amenity spaces together, with other sleek communal spaces offering dynamic living opportunities in the heart of the city.

In November 2025, Holcim UK delivered a 160-cubic-metre concrete pour on the Smithfield Lofts development which is being used to create foundations for the crane platform and columns up to the first floor of the building.

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Holcim UK won the supply contract after Velcol Groundworks, the contractor for the project, and structural engineers O'Connor Sutton Cronin (OCSC) reviewed the original concrete mix specification and identified the need to improve its composition of sustainable materials. 
To answer this call, the leading provider of sustainable materials offered a range of its ECOPact low carbon concrete, including a watertight mix that prevents water ingress. Compared against the CEM I baseline equivalent that was originally chosen, Holcim UK’s ECOPact mixes saved 429,093 kgCO2e (429 tonnes CO2e) in carbon emissions on the project.

Leon Pennant, sales manager at Holcim UK Birmingham & Wolverhampton for readymix concrete, led the project and said: “We won the Smithfield contract based on our proposal to deliver a reliable product of the highest quality, alongside service assurance and sustainability compliance.

“Our ability to adapt to engineer feedback and sustainability demands was no doubt the deciding factor in winning the contract and is testament to our determination to place sustainability at the heart of concrete production.”

James Tierney, Quantity Surveyor at Velcol Groundworks, said: “The ability to reduce embodied carbon without compromising performance was a key consideration on this site. This is one of the main reasons why Holcim’s ECOPact concrete was chosen for the project.”

Works are expected to continue on the foundations and columns through June and July 2026, with completion on the Smithfield Lofts expected in December 2027.

To find out more about Holcim UK’s ECOPact readymix concrete, please visit https://www.holcim.co.uk/products/ready-mix-concrete/ecopact