European materials manufacturers have teamed up to create a lightweight technology that could take the place of concrete, greatly reducing the harmful impact that the production of traditional concrete has on the environment while at the same time creating a little extra room for those occupying structures built with this new material.
Heidelberg Materials (formerly known as HeidelbergCement AG), one of the world's largest building materials companies, along with Metsä Wood, one of Europe's leading manufacturers of engineered wood products, worked together to create the technology.
According to Archinect News, the companies came up with a wall consisting of an outer layer of climate-improved concrete that absorbs carbon pollution. Sandwiched in between is a layer of insulation and laminated veneer lumber, a type of material that is lightweight but can be strong enough that it can be used as a substitute for steel, according to another company that makes it.
The combination of climate-improved concrete and laminated veneer lumber in place of traditional concrete are key to the technology's reduction of planet-warming pollution. The production of concrete generally depends on dirty energy, accounting for about 8% of the world's gases that humans contribute to the warming of the planet, a key driver of extreme weather events. Food waste–derived concrete and concrete made from recycled materials are among the other solutions in development to reduce pollution from the construction sector.
The team behind the hybrid technology says that the wall construction has 30% to 50% less of a climate impact than a traditional concrete wall and is 60% lighter, per Archinect News.
Furthermore, the team contracted a house using the new walls equipped with moisture sensors and found that the system could reduce climate impact by 15% to 25%. Currently, the new technology isn't suited for buildings taller than five floors.
While the technology is relatively new, if found to be reliable, it could go a long way in helping the European Union reach its goal of significantly reducing pollution by 2050.
"One of the advantages of this hybrid element is that construction contractors do not have to change their way of building with concrete elements but can still lower their carbon dioxide emissions," said Håkan Arnebrant, Business Development Manager at Metsä Wood. "At the same time, the walls can be made 50-75 millimeters [roughly 2-3 inches] thinner than walls built with concrete elements, which can give quite a few extra square meters in a building."
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