A conference at the BRE in Watford on 6 September will include the first major results of a three-year investigation into the performance and application of hydraulic lime mortars and renders.

The Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) gave a grant under the Foresight Scheme in May 1999 for the industry and academic study of hydraulic lime.

Professor Geoff Allen, whose department at Bristol University is the academic partner in the research programme, said recently: Because of the wide interest in potential uses of hydraulic lime on new builds the time is now right to begin publishing our results. Our contacts with the BRE make it a logical central location for the first public airing.

The conference at the BRE will coincide with the publication of three papers and four progress reports on various aspects of the research.

The Foresight Scheme team members will be available to answer questions after the presentations. The speakers will include contractors and specifiers who have used hydraulic limes as well as members of the research team.

Places at the conference are available for £120 each plus VAT. The fee includes lunch and a copy of the team\'s Best Practice Guide for Specifiers on the Use of Hydraulic Limes.

To book a place call: