BLOG

Client: The Arch Co
Contractor: AW Construction
Location: Railway Arches, London & UK-wide
Theme: Circular Economy, Community Benefit, Sustainable Construction
Project: Reusing arch linings at EKC Training Centre Hersden

The Challenge

As part of The Arch Co’s Project 1000 refurbishment programme, AW Construction regularly carries out upgrades and refurbishment works to railway arches across London and the UK. Many projects involve replacing the specialist arch lining systems—often made of durable plastic or metal. Traditionally, these materials would be sent to specialist waste transfer stations despite, in some cases, being in perfectly reusable condition.

AW Construction wanted to go further: to reduce waste, find productive second uses for this type of recovered material, and create measurable community benefit in the process.

The Approach

Three years ago, we launched a recycling initiative focused on giving construction materials a second life which has been very well received in the communities in which we work diverting much needed material into a wide variety of projects.

One major London arch project provided a breakthrough opportunity for tracking some waste materials from source to source. Through careful removal, our team salvaged more than 30 full sheets, each measuring over 3.0 metres in length. We reached out to our community network and received overwhelming interest. After careful review, the majority of these linings were donated to EKC Training Centre Hersden, near Canterbury, where they were used to construct the roof of an outdoor learning facility for bricklaying students.

However, with the number of linings that came from just this one arch we also supported local men’s sheds, allotment sheds, other local schools and some were used for animal shelter roofing across East Kent.

The Results

• 30+ full arch lining sheets salvaged rather than sent to specialist recycling stations.
• Donation to EKC Training Centre Hersden, creating a permanent outdoor training facility and directly supporting skills development for future construction workers.
• Wider community reuse of off-cuts and shorter sections, including allotments and animal shelters.

The Impact

This project demonstrates how circular economy thinking can be embedded in everyday construction activity. By extending the life of durable materials, AW Construction has:

• Reduced waste and disposal costs.
• Supported education and vocational training in construction skills.
• Delivered visible community benefits in line with Project 1000’s wider ambitions to regenerate and revitalise railway arches and connect with local communities.

We are delighted to be able to say that Phase 1 of the new covered brick laying training area at EKC Training Centre at Hersden, near Canterbury, has been completed. They are now busy constructing Phase 2 and have enough of the arch linings left over to complete half of the new roof – we are eagerly sourcing them the other half from our activities within the arches over the coming weeks.

Being able to support their students with a covered working area will allow longer training opportunities for their brick laying curriculum, but also, hopefully providing an opportunity for these students to understand the benefits of recycling and sustainability as they progress with their careers. And, who knows, they could be carrying out brick work repairs to these historic arches in the future.

We’d like to thank Will Simpson and his staff at EKC Training Hersden for their support in this recycling project.

With many more arch refurbishments scheduled, AW Construction and our sister company AW Rail are committed to scaling up this approach. Every arch project is another opportunity to divert materials, not just these arch linings, from the waste stream and reinvest them into the communities where we work—proving that sustainable practice and commercial construction can go hand in hand.

You can find out more about our long-term recycling project, now in its third year, our community initiatives, how you can be part of this project and a whole lot more here:

SOCIAL VALUE PROJECTS

AW Group is a multi-disciplined construction company providing a broad range of support and manpower across building and rail projects.

Our Fields are:

AW Construction – We offer an outstanding UK-wide fit out service, taking care of everything from scheduling rollouts & ordering materials to assistance with design and onsite delivery

AW Rail – We use the very best labour force and a proactive approach to deliver first-class construction and maintenance projects across the rail industry

AW Labour – We provide a high-calibre blue collar and white-collar workforce with a diverse range of skills, to support the construction and rail industries