Leading supplier of construction materials, Aggregate Industries, provided this weekend’s London Formula E Race with a range of surfacing and safety solutions, putting it in pole position ahead of competitors.
Through its range of businesses, namely London Concrete, Asphalt, multi-solution surfacing contractor Spadeoak and precast concrete manufacturer Charcon Construction Solutions, Aggregate Industries was able to supply materials and services for this prestigious event – as well as carrying out essential emergency repairs required half way through the race weekend.
The FIA, Formula E is the world’s first race series using only electric cars which reached its climax with a two day event in London at Battersea Park requiring material for both the track surface and the safety barriers surrounding it.
The project required 8,500 tonnes of bespoke precast concrete and saw a team of 75 staff working on site each day to install 7,000 linear metres of precast concrete safety barriers in less than ten days. Agreement with the local council meant that parts of the park remained open to the public during the Formula E event with minimal disruption during build-up and break down.
Given the tight deadlines and five-day break-down restriction, Spadeoak and Charcon Construction Solutions offered a bespoke transportation and delivery solution capable of meeting the tight deadlines of the project. This included providing 45 articulated lorries full of fencing panels, 271 deliveries of Charcon barriers and 26 items of Spadeoak plant and machinery.
Additionally, Aggregate Industries was brought in for necessary adjustments and improvements to the existing park roads in order to form a FIA approved 3km racing circuit through Battersea Park. To meet these requirements, Aggregate Industries supplied 2,096 tonnes of specialist asphalt and 100m3 of ready-mixed concrete from London Concrete.
And as the event got underway, and the track was used at full race speed for the first time, Aggregate Industries was on hand when a depression in part of the surface at turn one sent cars airborne during practice causing damage to car suspension. Using a specially modified Aggregate Industries material on Saturday night, Spadeoak resurfaced the affected area, giving Race Control complete reassurance the track would be dry so the event could resume the next day.
A grid start, rather than a safety car start, took place on the Sunday, and the emergency resurfacing allowed a faster line around the first two turns, meaning cars were hitting the third corner around 20 – 30 mph faster. This changed the overall dynamics of the race, making the event even more enjoyable for the crowd.
Sean Brown, Charcon Construction Solutions General Manager, said: “This was a project where the delivery date could not move or be compromised and the time scales for manufacture were a race against the clock, with absolutely no margin for error.
“It was a team approach from our mould suppliers delivering steel moulds against rigorous timescales; all raw material suppliers responding quickly to an exceptional volume uplift; the manufacturing teams talking with the client to ensure designs were workable, and logistical barriers for our lorry drivers navigating their way into Battersea Park from Nottinghamshire.”
Dave Dawe, Managing Director at Spadeoak, said: “It was a real team effort across Aggregate Industries to meet the brief using our specialist materials, services and delivery solutions. Not only did the products and services we provided for Formula E successfully keep the drivers and crowds safe and secure, the emergency repair works carried out by our quick acting on-site crew on Saturday ensured the event could continue on schedule the following morning.
“It was important for us to not only ensure the weekend event ran smoothly but to also help create a lasting legacy for Battersea Park. Formula E’s presence here has benefitted the location tremendously because we’ve carried out a long list of improvements, including resurfacing of roads, kerbing and improving an existing car park.”
As a permanent legacy from the event an existing dilapidated car park was re-surfaced using Aggregate Industries’ Porous Asphalt which was good for the race, the future car park and most importantly, the health of the surrounding trees.
For further information on partners involved, visit www.aggregate.com, www.spadeoak.co.uk, www.charconcs.com
For more information on the race, visit www.fiaformulae.com