More and more people involved in the construction industry are starting to realise the importance of aluminium and the benefits it has to the environment.

Produced from bauxite, which is one of the earth’s most plentiful ores, it is found near the surface, making it very easy to mine.

Aluminium itself is the world’s third most plentiful element, after oxygen and silicon, and makes up around eight per cent of the earth’s crust. At current rates of extraction it is calculated that there is enough aluminium to last up to another 400 years - and this does not take into account recycling.

Aluminium has a major advantage over steel in that it doesn’t rust. On exposure to air it combines with oxygen to form a thin, protective oxide layer on the surface, which is hard, chemically stable, and corrosion resistant. This layer isolates the parent metal from air and inhibits further reaction. It thickens very slowly with age to cause the original highly reflective surface to become naturally dulled.

If the surface should get scratched, it simply and quickly forms another layer of oxide, which is why aluminium is known as the self-healing metal, and there are many examples of aluminium constructions lasting many years without treatment - for example the Eros statue in Piccadilly, which is now well over 100 years old. As a result of its inherent ability to resist corrosion, aluminium is almost 100% recyclable and can be reclaimed from buildings many years after the initial construction.

Aluminium performs particularly well in corrosive environments such as swimming pools and coastal locations, which is why, for example, the superstructure of the QE2 is made from aluminium. This is in marked contrast to mild steel which requires artificial layers of zinc and plastic and corrodes rapidly when these layers are penetrated.