#26 Freed from Steel – The Cube in Dresden and the Future of Carbon Concrete
Is it possible to think differently about reinforced concrete: resource-efficient, durable, and still high-performing? Carbon concrete offers an answer: a composite material of fine-grained high-performance concrete and reinforcement made of carbon fibers. Unlike steel, carbon does not rust, thus enabling more delicate structures, lower material consumption, and significantly reduced CO₂ emissions.
In this episode, I speak with Prof. Manfred Curbach from TU Dresden, one of the leading minds behind the C³ – Carbon Concrete Composite research project. He and his team have been researching this material for over 20 years and have set a visible mark with the Cube in Dresden: the world’s first building completely constructed from carbon concrete, combining innovative construction with design freedom.
We discuss how carbon concrete is processed on the construction site, where it is already in use, for example, in the renovation of bridges or in the restoration of historic buildings. The protected inventory, and what advantages it offers over classic reinforced concrete. At the same time, we take a critical look at open questions, such as recycling in large-scale demolition or health protection during the processing of carbon fibers. Because even if carbon concrete is already on the construction site, it remains a material that needs further research, testing, and discussion.
Expert in this episode: Prof. Manfred Curbach – Civil Engineer, Professor at TU Dresden, and carbon concrete pioneer
Further links: Research project C³-Carbon Concrete Composite Information on the Cube on the TU Dresden campus Information on the architecture of the Cube at Henn Architekten
Cover image: Stefan Gröschel, Institute for Mass vbau, TU Dresden
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