Leca® aims high in Scandinavia

The expanded clay aggregate manufactured by the Danish brand are being used for the foundations of the future Karlatornet tower in Sweden, Scandinavia’s tallest building.

Leca®, a Saint-Gobain Group brand, has specialized in expanded clay since the 1930s. It is produced by exposing clay slurry to a very high temperature in a rotating furnace. The resultant product is biologically neutral, recyclable and environmentally inert. But that’s not all. Leca® LWA (Light Weight Aggregate) is frost and fire resistant, a good insulator and has a very low density.

All these qualities combine to make it an ideal product for a major project in Gothenburg (Sweden): the construction of Scandinavia’s tallest building scheduled for completion in 2022. The 245-meter-tall Karlatornet tower, designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merril (SOM), will include apartments, a hotel, offices and a panoramic bar.

Leca® LWA will be used for the foundations. A total of 135 cubic meters of expanded clay has been laid around the elevator shaft, at the center of a well where the foundations have been sunk to a depth of 75 meters. Leca® LWA was selected for this project because of its properties as well as its ease of application. Expanded clay, delivered by truck, is directly projected where it is needed using compressed air. There is no need for storage and application can be completed in record time by just two people.

Photo Credit: ©Serneke.