Project Life INSUSHELL: Reducing the Carbon Footprint in Concrete Construction

Within the Life INSU–SHELL project (Environmentally Friendly Facade Elements made of thermal insulated Textile Reinforced Concrete) RWTH Aachen University together with industrial partners developed and implemented an innovative and eco friendly modular system for sandwich facades. The thin–walled, light–weight sandwich structure combines Textile Reinforced Concrete (TRC) and a PUR–rigid–foam–insulation. With the use of TRC a large quantity of concrete material and therefore CO2–output can be avoided. The lower amount of concrete used in the new elements results in a reduction of CO2–output of about 70% in comparison to a similar element of ferroconcrete. The lower weight saves energy and fuel. Moreover it reduces the pollutant emission in transport and application. The employment of the innovative elements at the new INNOTEX building (ITA: Institut fuer Textiltechnik of RWTH Aachen University) with a facade size of about 590 m2 saved large quantities of CO2–output in comparison to conventional building t...