Charcon, the commercial hard landscaping division of Aggregate Industries, has demonstrated its superb product and logistical capabilities by supplying a colossal 4,200 tonnes of hard landscaping materials to Swansea Bay Campus, all within a tight time frame of just six months.
The ambitious £450m project by the University of Swansea has doubled the size of its academic and research facilities, establishing Swansea as a dual-campus university destination. Situated at Neath, Port Talbot on the approach into Swansea, the campus has been developed on St Modwen’s 65-acre former BP Transit site, transforming the bay’s industrial landscape into a modern, hi-tech district that rivals the world’s top 21st century universities.
Charcon consulted with contractor Vinci Construction at an early stage of the project. The architecture of the university buildings already present featured both traditional and modern elements. This was a key driver in the choice of paving products and shades to make sure the landscaping would complement these buildings.
Charcon therefore recommended its Andover Textured range for the contemporary public spaces and squares. Offering a premium quality block paving product at an affordable price, the Silver Fleck and Silver Grey shades were combined for maximum visual appeal in 300mm x 200mm blocks, with a total of 10,295m² of Andover Textured being specified.
To contrast, 8,280m² of traditional-style Woburn Rumbled cobble paving in Rustic colour was used for the meandering streetscape. Reminiscent of traditional setts, all three sizes were incorporated to create eye-catching designs.
The exterior of the great hall was paved with StoneMaster in Medium Grey (600m x 450mm) from Charcon’s Life range, made from a fine stone mix of up to 50% reclaimed or recycled materials, yet resulting in a granite effect without the expense of using natural stone.
Alongside the paving, 2,000m² of Eco Countryside Classic Kerbs and edging was also supplied to help add visual appeal to the functional roadside edging.
John Sheehan, project manager at Vinci Construction, comments: “Bay Campus has been an immense project that had to be delivered within an incredibly tight timeframe. By working closely with Charcon from the outset, we have benefitted from their technical abilities, as well as the welcome reassurance of efficient deliveries and products of the highest quality.
“At Vinci, we are immeasurably proud of having delivered phase one so successfully, and we would like to extend our thanks to all involved at Charcon in helping to achieve this.”
Mike Davies, Specification and Major Projects Manager at Aggregate Industries, said: “Our team worked very hard and liaised closely with Vinci throughout the project to guarantee correct and timely delivery of all orders placed. Overall, we made 188 deliveries of quality-assured products whilst fulfilling additional product requirements along the way.”
Charcon will continue to supply products for the second phase of works which is already underway and scheduled to end in 2020, ready for the University’s centenary.
