Arcadis Use Fly Ash in JFK Airport Redevelopment | Blog

Posted 03-03-2023
Category News

Fly Ash concrete mix has been utilised by Arcadis in their recent redevelopment of one of the largest airports in the world, JFK airport in New York.

Arcadis Global Airports Solutions Director Nick Hutchinson emphasises that everything seen in the structure of the redeveloped buildings is centred around recycling, including the fly ash used in the concrete mix.

Hutchinson described the use of Fly Ash concrete mix in all of the concrete that is used at the airport as a critical part of Arcadis' plan of sustainability in practice and significantly reducing carbon footprint.

"These days, it is not just about environmental aspects - it is also about ESG's, so it's environmental, social and governance metrics. ESG is about sustainability goals, we weave all of those sustainability goals into everything that we do", Hutchinson said to Airways.

"There are a few neat factors in this project. It is all about ensuring that we are conservative with our resource usage. We're not polluting, so we're managing carbon. As an example, we used a high fly ash concrete mix which significantly reduces the carbon footprint of all of the concrete that is used at the airport".

"We focus on all of the materials that are used in the building process. Everything that you see in the structure and the envelope of the building, from the roof to the apron, in terms of materials - centres around recycling. So, it is the ability to reuse the materials in the long term so we are not wasting them again".

The US $400 million expansion and modernisation of the airport has created five new widebody gates, four widebody parking positions, an expanded baggage handling system and an expansion of terminal eight by 130,000 square feet.

The use of ash in this airport project showcases the potential that fly ash has in reducing carbon footprint for future redevelopment and construction projects.