This week at Rebuild, the preeminent event for the construction industry held in Madrid, the Eurecat technology centre is presenting technological solutions which drive the circular economy and decarbonisation in building with new advanced materials that cut carbon footprint and improve the energy efficiency of building along with using captured CO2.
The next few years “will be crucial for the sector to meet many of its short-term objectives,” says Jose Sevillano, head of Business in the Construction sector at Eurecat. Decarbonisation, digitalisation and industrialisation, he adds, “are the main work strands where we are currently directing all our efforts to help companies address the major challenges in construction and deliver standout value through innovation.”
Here, Eurecat can develop new materials and products with a low environmental impact, including circularity criteria such as reusing waste. An example of this is the innovation undertaken with Santos Jorge, a firm specialising in managing and treating recycled glass, with which it has tested how glass fractions can be used to manufacture construction materials, giving them specific properties while reducing their carbon footprint.
The technology centre is also testing how accelerated carbonation can be applied as a technology for using captured CO2 to transform waste and improve its properties so that it can be reintroduced into the process and generate high-value materials.
In eco-design of construction products for greater energy efficiency in buildings, Eurecat is partnering with Cerámica La Coma to significantly improve the thermal transmittance properties, i.e. the ability to let energy through, of Termoarcilla ceramic blocks by optimising their design and then conducting thermal and mechanical simulations, thereby improving the energy efficiency of buildings.
Eurecat’s booth at Rebuild also features a new temporary pergola solution, jointly designed with Denvelops, which makes it possible to generate shade which is gradual in transparency and density with dynamic textures and movements. Using movable parts also makes it possible to lessen wind loads. The project won the competition run by Bit Habitat and Barcelona City Council and was installed in the city centre.
Another innovation is R3PANOT, a sustainable paver for 21st century Barcelona developed in conjunction with Escofet and Molins. This proposal makes it possible to cut carbon footprint by 70 per cent and include up to 30 per cent recycled material in the end product without amending the design or construction sections.
Artificial intelligence, robotics and test beds for trying out smart materials
The technology centre is also showcasing its digitalisation capabilities and expertise with projects featuring artificial intelligence, robotics and process automation.
Eurecat has two test beds for the construction industry, where companies can try out smart materials for façades and monitor them in real time in a diversity of climates, along with technologies for monitoring and improving indoor air quality.
