A residential block at Brent Cross Town becomes the UK’s first homebuilding project to incorporate calcined clay concrete, signalling a significant step towards lower-carbon construction practices and wider adoption of sustainable materials in the UK housing sector.
Related Argent says a residential block at Brent Cross Town has become the first homebuilding project in the UK to use calcined clay concrete, a lower-carbon formulation that replaces part of the Portland cement content with heat-treated clay.
The North London scheme, a large mixed-use regeneration led by Related Argent with Barnet Council, is using the material in a permanently suspended slab for a build-to-rent building of more than 200 homes. Midgard, the contractor on the project, used a mix in which 30% of the cement was substituted with calcined clay, delivering an embodied carbon reduction of about 10% compared with the concrete previously specified for the development, according to the companies involved.
Calcined clay is attracting growing interest because it can cut emissions without relying on more scarce or geopolitically exposed supplementary cementitious materials. The Concrete Centre says the process involves heating clay to make it reactive with Portland cement, producing a pozzolanic reaction that gives the material cementitious properties. Industry bodies have argued that wider use of calcined clay could help the sector move towards lower-carbon concrete at scale, especially where suitable clay feedstock is available.
Related Argent’s environment manager, Tim Hoyland, described the application at Brent Cross Town as a meaningful advance for sustainable construction in the UK and said the company hoped to encourage broader adoption across the sector. Capital Concrete’s technical director, Jack Sindhu, said the mix allowed the team to reduce the amount of cement and GGBS required, lowering embodied carbon and overall CO₂ emissions.
The project also highlights the circular-economy case for the material. In this instance, the clay was sourced from waste bricks, showing how demolition and construction residue can be brought back into productive use rather than sent for disposal. That matters in a sector where concrete remains the most widely used construction material by mass and where cement production is one of the largest industrial sources of carbon dioxide.
The Brent Cross Town scheme itself is substantial. Construction Management reported that the wider development covers 180 acres and is being delivered as a long-term regeneration project, with the apartment building due to open in 2028. The use of calcined clay in a permanent structural element therefore marks a shift from trials and non-structural applications towards mainstream residential delivery.
Momentum is also building elsewhere. The Concrete Society recently published a discussion paper on calcined clay, setting out its benefits and the changes needed to support adoption in the UK market. Meanwhile, LKAB Minerals said in August 2025 that full production of its UK-made calcined clay SCM had begun at Flixborough, with annual capacity of around 30,000 tonnes. Industry groups believe that manufacturing scale, technical guidance and demand from clients will be key to moving the material from niche use into routine specification.
The Brent Cross Town application will not transform the carbon footprint of concrete on its own, but it offers a practical demonstration that lower-carbon mixes can be used in real housing projects. For an industry under pressure to decarbonise quickly, that is the sort of evidence developers, contractors and material suppliers have been asking for.
- https://www.pbctoday.co.uk/news/mmc-news/calcined-clay-concrete-used-homes-first-time/161574/ – Please view link – unable to able to access data
- https://www.pbctoday.co.uk/news/mmc-news/calcined-clay-concrete-used-homes-first-time/161574/ – In a UK first, Related Argent’s Brent Cross Town has seen the first use of a more sustainable concrete mix in a residential building. Calcined clay concrete is a lower-carbon alternative to traditional concrete, replacing some of the Portland cement with much more widely available thermally treated clay. In the North London development, Midgard – the contractor working for Related Argent – has used a mix with 30% calcined clay in the cement, meaning an overall reduction of 10% embodied carbon in the concrete mix compared to what was used previously. The new mix has gone into a residential building. The build-to-rent building makes up over 200 homes, and has seen the new calcined clay concrete utilised in a permanently suspended slab. The practice is a first in the UK, but it is hoped that it will be adopted more. The construction industry accounts for about 37% of global emissions, and as concrete is the most-utilised material in construction by mass, it is no surprise that its production accounts for about 8% of global emissions per year. The sheer availability of clay means that wider adoption of calcined clay concrete could save millions of tonnes of CO₂ in the construction sector. In this use, sustainability and the circular economy was also supported by the clay being sourced from waste bricks. Tim Hoyland, environment manager at Related Argent said: “The successful application of calcined clay concrete in permanent works at Brent Cross Town is a significant step forward for sustainable construction in the UK. This material is a practical alternative to traditional cement replacement, enabling the industry to significantly reduce carbon emissions, support job creation and the circular economy. We are proud to lead by example and are committed to sharing our experience to encourage wider adoption of calcined clay concrete throughout the sector. A huge thank you to everyone who helped make this happen.” Jack Sindhu, technical director at Capital Concrete, said: “By partially replacing traditional cement and GGBS with calcined clay, we’re able to review the amount of cement required in the mix, which in turn helps reduce embodied carbon and overall CO₂ emissions.” The first CO₂-neutral bridge was built this year. Revealed in January, Paebbl and Heijmans unveiled their world-first achievement, a seven metre-long bridge made from 75% circular raw materials, and no primary sand or gravel. The Dutch construction company responsible said that nearly 66kg of CO₂ has been sequestered within the bridge deck. Nick Vervoort, innovation manager at Heijmans, commented: “This bridge proves that carbon-neutral structural concrete is not a future aspiration, it’s achievable today. For the first time, CO₂-neutral concrete has been poured using an innovative mix of materials: Paebbl, biochar and recycled concrete. This demonstrates what collaboration and ambition can achieve. We’re very proud that the concrete mix used in this bridge is fully CO₂-neutral and contains 75% circular raw materials.”
- https://constructionmanagement.co.uk/major-regeneration-scheme-sees-first-uk-use-of-lower-carbon-calcined-clay-concrete/ – In a UK first, calcined clay concrete – which replaces some cement with pulverised baked clay from, for instance, damaged bricks – has been used in an apartment building going up in North London. Contractor Midgard used it to build a permanent suspended slab in a rented apartment building at Brent Cross Town, a 180-acre mixed-use scheme being delivered by developer Related Argent in partnership with Barnet Council. The 200-unit building is scheduled to open in 2028. In this case, 30% of the cement in the concrete mix was replaced with calcined clay, resulting in a 10% embodied carbon saving compared with equivalent concrete mixes previously used at the development.
- https://www.concrete.org.uk/discussion-document-calcinedclay/ – The Concrete Society has published a new discussion document titled ‘Calcined Clay: Benefits and Adoption for UK Concrete’. This document aims to demonstrate the viability of calcined clays as a Supplementary Cementitious Material (SCM) in concrete, addressing concerns over its techno-economic feasibility and challenging current perceptions. The paper recommends a series of interventions to enable behavioural change, demand signalling, and widespread adoption of calcined clay in the UK. These outcomes were facilitated by the Calcined Clay Task and Finish Group.
- https://www.concretecentre.com/Specification/What-is-Concrete/Calcined-clay.aspx – The interest in the use of calcined clay as a supplementary cementitious material in the manufacture of concrete has been growing in recent years, particularly as an alternative means of reducing the embodied carbon of concrete. Calcination is a process by which a mineral is heated to a high temperature, but below that at which it would melt, causing a change in the chemical composition. Calcined clay, therefore, is a clay that has been heated and becomes reactive in the presence of Portland cement. This is a pozzolanic reaction, similar to fly ash, where the calcined clay reacts with calcium hydroxide from the Portland cement and becomes cementitious. Each clay will have an optimal calcining temperature for maximum reactivity.
- https://www.concreteconnect.co.uk/news/lkabs-uk-calcined-clay-enters-full-production – LKAB Minerals has confirmed that full production of its UK-manufactured calcined clay supplementary cementitious material (SCM) commenced in August 2025 at its Flixborough facility. The material, developed in partnership with Forterra, is now in full commercial supply with an annual production capacity of approximately 30,000 tonnes. Calcined clay can replace up to 35% of Portland cement in concrete mixes, supporting lower embodied carbon targets while maintaining performance characteristics required under BS 8500-compliant combinations.
- https://www.concreteconnect.co.uk/news/boral-completes-calcined-clay-concrete-trials – Australian construction materials group Boral has completed product development and large-scale field trials of a low carbon concrete incorporating locally produced calcined clay, marking what the company describes as a national first. The programme follows extensive laboratory testing and real-world pours designed to validate calcined clay as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM). The work builds on technical feasibility studies undertaken with the University of Technology Sydney, Transport for NSW and Calix, supported by SmartCrete CRC and Australian Government funding. The mixes include both binary and triple-blend formulations, with calcined clay partially replacing traditional clinker. According to Boral, field trials at its Maldon cement operations demonstrated comparable workability and performance characteristics to conventional low carbon concrete products.
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
8
Notes:
The article was published on April 29, 2026, and reports on the use of calcined clay concrete in a residential building at Brent Cross Town, North London. This is the first known application of calcined clay concrete in a UK residential project. The earliest known publication date of similar content is April 27, 2026, in Construction Management, which also reports on this development. The narrative appears original, with no evidence of recycling from low-quality sites or clickbait networks. The article is based on a press release, which typically warrants a high freshness score. No discrepancies in figures, dates, or quotes were found between this and earlier versions. The article includes updated data and does not recycle older material.
Quotes check
Score:
7
Notes:
The article includes direct quotes from Tim Hoyland, environment manager at Related Argent, and Jack Sindhu, technical director at Capital Concrete. A search for these quotes reveals that they were first used in the Construction Management article published on April 27, 2026. The wording of the quotes is consistent across sources, indicating they are not reused from earlier material. However, the quotes cannot be independently verified through other sources, which slightly reduces the score.
Source reliability
Score:
6
Notes:
The article originates from PBC Today, a niche publication focusing on planning, building, and construction news. While it is a reputable source within its niche, it is not as widely recognised as major news organisations. The lead source appears to be summarising content from a press release, which is common in industry-specific publications. The press release is from Related Argent, the developer of the Brent Cross Town project, which may introduce a potential conflict of interest. The article does not appear to be summarising, rewriting, or aggregating content from another publication.
Plausibility check
Score:
8
Notes:
The claims made in the article are plausible and align with industry trends towards sustainable construction practices. The use of calcined clay concrete in a UK residential project is a significant development, and the reported carbon savings are consistent with known benefits of using calcined clay as a supplementary cementitious material. The article provides specific factual anchors, including names, institutions, and dates. The language and tone are consistent with industry reporting, and there is no excessive or off-topic detail. The tone is formal and appropriate for the subject matter.
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): MEDIUM
Summary:
The article reports on the first use of calcined clay concrete in a UK residential project at Brent Cross Town, North London. While the content is original and the claims are plausible, the reliance on a press release from Related Argent and the inability to independently verify the quotes from Tim Hoyland and Jack Sindhu introduce potential conflicts of interest and reduce the overall confidence in the article’s accuracy. Therefore, the overall assessment is a PASS with MEDIUM confidence.
