Innovative concrete mix for commercial floor

Commissioned by Bouwbedrijf van de Ven, Van Berlo completed the entire concrete substructure of the new Dorshout distribution center in Veghel. What makes the project extra special is that Van Berlo, in collaboration with developer Next Level Development, has executed the company floor with an innovative, sustainable and crack-free concrete mix.

Almost all divisions of Van Berlo contributed to the new distribution center with over 22,000 m² of industrial floors, of which the warehouse area was poured in flatness class 2 of NEN 2747. Van Berlo Systeemfunderingen built the entire foundation, dock and loading pit construction and Van Berlo Engineering took care of all drawings and calculations. The technology for the innovative concrete mix was developed by the Research & Development department within Van Berlo and was extensively tested in its own laboratory.

Optimized concrete mix

With the new technology, Van Berlo can achieve a sustainable and high-quality concrete floor in roughly three steps with common raw materials. The first step is in designing an optimized concrete mix. For this, Van Berlo analyzes and tests the available raw materials from the concrete plant. The mixture is composed in such a way that all raw materials are perfectly matched. This allows the water and cement content in the mixture to be reduced, without compromising on quality.

Low carbon footprint 

The second step is taken in the execution phase. During the pouring of the floors on the Dorshout project in Veghel, a high-quality admixture was added in the concrete mixers at the construction site. This admixture is dosed at the construction site because of its relatively short duration of action. This addition allows Van Berlo to further reduce the water content in the mix design. This accelerates the stiffening behavior and increases the strength of the concrete. As a result, Van Berlo is able to reduce the proportion of Portland cement in the concrete mix by 35 to 50 percent compared to traditional floor concrete. This directly lowers the CO2 footprint of the concrete mix because Portland cement has the largest impact in this.

Free of annoying shrinkage cracks

The third and final step comes after pouring. At Dorshout, the young concrete floor is optimally protected from drying out. The surface is impregnated to make it extra hard and wear-resistant. The combination of low water and cement content and optimal protection against drying out keeps the floor free of annoying shrinkage cracks. The floors were poured in the fall of 2021 and still show no shrinkage cracks today. 

Circular concrete

Van Berlo is also working hard on circularity. Within current regulations, you can replace up to 30 percent of the gravel with secondary material. Secondary material is, for example, concrete granulate, which is made from recycled concrete. Circular raw materials that cause additional concrete shrinkage and/or contain contaminants are problematic in monolithic floors. Therefore, it is important to test circular concrete mixtures extensively in the laboratory. Fortunately, the supply of high-quality secondary raw materials is growing. With the right materials, proper preparation and craftsmanship, Van Berlo can make circular monolithic floors without making concessions in quality.