ROOF-TOP FOOTBALL CENTRE | STAR CITY, BIRMINGHAM

Leca® Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate gives self-compacting, light, free-draining base layer to new football centre. Leca® UK, the European manufacturer of mineral-based building materials, supplied Leca® Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate for this unique and eye-catching project.

Contractor Blakedown Sport & Play built ten five-aside football pitches on top of a multi-storey car park visible from the M6 Motorway in Birmingham. The ten pitches are part of a multi million-pound sports centre for Goals Soccer.

Leca® Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate was employed as the base layer for the pitches, principally for the fact that its light weight reduced loadings on the existing structure, but also for its excellent drainage properties. In addition, the unique ability of Leca® Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate to self-compact ensured that a stable base could be levelled out using no more than hand-held rakes, overcoming the need for heavy plant to flatten it.

FACTS

Amount of material: 160m3 of LECA LWA (10-20mm)

Interesting Fact: Leca® Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate was employed as the base layer for the pitches, principally for the fact that its light weight reduced loadings on the existing structure, but also for its excellent drainage properties.

Delivery Method: 2.2m3 Bulk Bags

Main Contractor: Blakedown Sport & Play

Overview of Project

The material was supplied in 2.2m3 bags, which were dropped by fork lift and spread out at point of use. The top surface of the pitches is Edel Extreme artificial turf with sand and rubber crumb infill.

Tony Farmer, contract manager at Blakedown, says: “This contract entailed very complex design requirements due to the nature and positioning of the site – building on an existing rooftop generates its own unique challenges and Leca® enabled us to meet three of them in one by providing us with an effective self-compacting fill, which reduces loading and drains extremely well, Leca® Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate has enabled us to complete this contract extra quickly and to a tight budget.”