The ecological and economic advantages of carbon reinforced concrete—Using the C3 result house CUBE especially the BOX value chain as an example

Abstract

Against the background of global warming and the associated need to drastically reduce energy and resource consumption, action must also be taken in the building sector. Resource-efficient construction methods must be used that nevertheless allow the increasing construction tasks in areas such as infrastructure and housing to continue to be fulfilled. In order to successfully introduce a new construction method to the market, the aspects of recyclability and economic efficiency are essential, in addition to important government requirements for climate neutrality and technical performance. Above all, the economic viability, that is, the economic advantageousness, as well as its simple applicability compared to competing systems, decides on the success and widespread use of a new technology. Carbon reinforced concrete, with its outstanding technical properties and simultaneous material efficiency, is an important building block toward climate neutrality in the construction industry. It is a promising technology that still has to prove its economic advantages and robust applicability under market conditions. In addition to the infrastructure sector, there is great potential in the area of housing creation, which needs to be tapped for carbon reinforced concrete. For this challenge, it is necessary to design a competitive value chain that allows the realization of marketable products in mass production on existing plant technology. The article gives a short overview of the economic and ecological status quo in the field of prefabricated construction with carbon concrete, using the example of the C³-result building CUBE. In particular, the CUBE-BOX, which is made of prefabricated and semi-prefabricated parts, is examined in more detail and the carbon reinforced concrete components used are compared with classic reinforced concrete constructions in terms of sustainability. In this context, the conceivable global climate protection contribution of the carbon reinforced concrete construction method is forecast based on potential market segments.