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Sustainable concrete architecture

A durable & sustainable material

Green building & sustainable design

Sustainability is progressively becoming a prominent fixture in architecture and the construction industry. The rising demand for sustainable design and environmentally friendly construction has caused an increased popularity of environmental certifications, such as LEED, BREEAM, and DGNB. Thus, the requirements for sustainable construction materials have risen and the focus is particularly on the durability of the materials and a green production.

A key factor in sustainable construction and one of the many advantages glassfibre reinforced concrete is durability. GRC has a lifespan of more than 100 years and is weather resistant – in both extreme heat and freezing cold. Once you have installed the GRC elements there is no need for technical maintenance and the elements can be easily cleaned to appear new again. Our latest development, the new generation of GRC, has a better finish and a denser surface, which increases the resistance towards algae and dirt.

Moreover, it is important to consider the production of building materials, which is also an essential factor in environmental certifications and when assessing if a material can be considered sustainable. The production at BB fiberbeton is without any toxic materials and the consumption of energy is low. Moreover, our electricity comes from renewable energy sources.

Why should you choose GRC?

A great tool for sustainable concrete architecture

Environmental product declaration

We have a clear objective of reducing the environmental impact during our production, transport, and use of our glassfibre reinforced concrete elements. We are experiencing an increasing demand for environmental product declarations as sustainable concrete architecture becomes more prominent in the construction industry.

When calculating a building’s environmental footprint, for example for a DGNB certification or a LEED certification, it is important to look at the choice of construction materials. Our EPD is a useful tool for this, as it documents the environmental impact of our GRC elements.

The EPD is verified by a third party and calculated according to international standards. It documents an assessment of the consumption of energy and resources as well as the environmental impact during the product’s life cycle. In our EPD we declared our product, the transport and construction process, as well as the use of our product.

Download our EPD.

Sustainable highlights

Sustainable advantages

  • 100+ years durability
  • Weather resistant
  • No technical maintenance
  • Custom made to avoid waste on building site 
  • Low consumption of energy
  • Reduced load on buildings
  • Reduced cement usage per square meter
  • Reduced transportation costs

MADE FAST partner

MADE (Manufacturing Academy of Denmark) is the Danish national initiative for research and the objective is to strengthen manufacturing companies with new knowledge. The MADE FAST project is a collaboration seeking to develop new solutions and opportunities to make manufacturing in Denmark more flexible, agile, and lessen the environmental footprint. The project is helping Danish manufacturing companies discover and implement new solutions in their production process with the purpose of increasing the sustainability of their production.

Our objective, as a partner in this project, is to uncover ways to reuse as much of the excess material from our casting moulds and any left-over concrete for other purposes. The goal is to develop a business model that can accommodate this objective and significantly decrease the waste in our production.

As a result of this partnership, we have found a new way of reusing some our concrete waste in collaboration with STARK. We manufacture fence feet from our leftover wet concrete, and although it merely produces two to four fence feet per week, STARK plans to sells these as part of their circular and sustainable alternative to new concrete.

RECS certificate

Our production requires a low consumption of energy and to further limit our environmental footprint, we have received a RECS certificate from the 1st of January 2021. A RECS certificate is a renewable energy certificate that guarantees that our electricity stems from renewable energy sources, such as windmills.

Downloads

Environmental product declaration

An Environmental production declaration (EPD) is a very useful tool for environmental certifications. The EPD is calculated according to international standards by an independent third party. It communicated an assessment of the consumption of energy and resources and the environmental impact during a product's life cycle.

Downloads

Sustainable renovation of historic building

NH Collection Hotel

The renovation of the historic "Ørkenfortet" in Copenhagen was designed with sustainability in the forefront. ATP Ejendomme, the developer of the project, decided from the outset that the renovation should be DGNB certified. As one of the first renovation projects in Denmark, the project has been pre-certified and expecting a gold certification. 

The DGNB system is based on a life cycle analysis of a project and the overall performance is evaluated. With high environmental requirements for construction materials, glassfibre reinforced concrete is ideal for environmental certifications. The material itself is sustainable and so is the production.

NH Collection Copenhagen Hotel

First DGNB gold certified renovation in Denmark

Sorgenfrivang II

Sorgenfrivang II is the first renovation project in Denmark to receive a DGND gold certification. GRC was chosen for this project partly based on its durability and its sustainable properties.

The DGNB system (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen) is internationally recognized as the Global Benchmark for Sustainability. The certification is based on the full life cycle of a project and the overall performance of a project is evaluated. The ratings consist of bronze, silver, gold, and platinum.

Sorgenfrivang II

LEED certified building project

Priorn

Priorn, a modern office building in central Malmö, is certified LEED Platinum, their highest rating. This project had very high sustainability ambitions which made GRC ideal for the facade cladding. 

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a rating system measuring how efficiently a building is designed and operated. It is the most popular green building rating system in the world.

The rating is based on earning points across nine categories, all relating to green building. These categories include energy and resources, materials and resources, and sustainable sites. Based on the number of earned points, a building can be certified, silver, gold, or platinum.

Priorn

BREEAM assessed construction in Sweden

Flundran

Flundran is a waterfront property in Sweden and facade is clad with GRC elements from BB fiberbeton. The building is certified in accordance with BREEAM and is rated ‘Very Good’ in the ‘In-Use category.

BREEAM Building Research Establishment environmental assessment method) is the world’s leading sustainability assessment method for masterplanning projects, infrastructure, and buildings. The assessment is certified by a third party, and the certification can take place at various stages in the built environment life cycle.

BREEAM ‘In-Use’ is an environmental assessment of the operational performance of the building. The rating system represents performances equivalent to ‘pass’, ‘good’, very good’, ‘excellent’, and ‘outstanding’.

Flundran

Sustainable concrete architecture

AFI Vokovice

We worked with DAM Architects on AFI Vokovice, two office buildings in Prague, which earned a LEED Platinum certification.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a rating system measuring how efficiently a building is designed and operated. It is the most popular green building rating system in the world. The rating is based on earning points across nine categories, all relating to green building.

These categories include energy and resources, construction materials and resources, and sustainable sites. Based on the number of earned points, a building can be certified, silver, gold, or platinum.

BB fiberbeton manufactured 9.700 m2 of GRC for this project. The facade elements are 12 mm thin and coloured in BBf no.01 standard white.

AFI Vokovice

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