Learning Legacy Podcast: Episode Three – Reducing and reusing

How to Build a Railway

HS2’s Learning Legacy Podcast is a five-part series exploring the Learning Legacy programme.
HS2’s place within the current climate and environment has always been its top priority. Once operational, the British-built bullet trains will provide zero-carbon journeys between the UK’s two largest cities, Birmingham and London.
Episode 3 explores how HS2’s railway assets have been designed from the start with climate change resilience in mind, as well as utilising waste clay from tunnelling, and how it can be transformed into low carbon concrete.
Featuring:
Kay Hughes - HS2 Design Director
Alison Walker – HS2 Climate Change Manager
Dr Rachel Allison - HS2 Climate Change Specialist
Nick Podevyn – Align Innovation Manager
Athina Papakosta - SCS Sustainability and Carbon Lead
Dr Fragkoulis Kanavaris – ARUP Concrete Materials Lead
Apostolos Tsoumelekas – SCS Materials Engineer
Tom Burr-Hersey – HS2 Senior Environmental Manager
Kay sets the scene with how the project is being delivered with the future in mind, achieving sustainability from as early as the design stage and maintaining it through strong communication.
Alison and Rachel take us through all things climate when it comes to construction of the project. ‘The 4R’s of resilience’, the planning towards weather conditions by using multiple climate models, and how much climate adaption is front and centre from design all the way through to operation.
Nick focuses on the construction of the Colne Valley Viaduct with Align’s giant launch girder. Combating issues with wind, rain and heat to ensure the construction schedule isn’t affected and the use of MetSwift weather models.
Athina, Fragkoulis, Apostolos and Tom dive into the reuse of London Clay to reducing climate impact by cutting transport emissions related to removing the material. The possibility of excavated London Clay being turned into local concrete, it could also reduce the embodied carbon emissions.
Find out more about HS2’s Learning Legacy Programme at: https://learninglegacy.hs2.org.uk/