Green lights for composites growth in construction
The World Economic Forum estimates that by 2030, 3 billion people will need access to adequate and affordable housing. Traditional building practices will not be able to respond adequately to such a demand. Composites have the potential to provide affordable solutions to some of this demand. On the other hand, in infrastructure, the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) estimated in 2021 that among the 220,000 bridges in the United States needing major repair, some 80,000 needed full replacement. In Europe, estimates of a similar order regarding bridge replacement and repair exist. In addition, there are many tunnels which need refurbishing, again offering composites significant opportunities.
The demand is certainly growing and the capabilities and competitiveness of composites have been proven. The composites players in these markets have established a positive track record and are preparing for further growth. It’s clear that composites can provide unique solutions for a range of contemporary architectural challenges. Surely, it is time that architects and designers in the construction community recognised the potential for composites to become a mainstream product.
For this issue, we tried to give you a glimpse of these evolutions, from the United States to China, from design to structural, considering various techniques and presenting the changes in terms of norms and standards.
Quick overview of the table of content:
News
• “L’Hydroptère writes a new chapter in the quest for innovation”, interview with Airbus Technocentre
• Towards the harmonisation of lightweight policies at EU level light, with ELCA
Business
• “We stir up the potential of composite materials to the building industry”, interview with CARBOCON GMBH
• Third edition of JEC Forum DACH has made the final breakthrough
• Current conditions for the composites industry in the DACH region, according to AVK
Manufacturing
• Influence of process parameters on the quality of thermoplastic pultruded profiles with ITA
• Automated winding cell addresses the need for high-rate manufacture of composite parts with Cygnet Texkimp
Feature Building & Infrastructure
• U.S. infrastructure: when will composites be the material of choice?
• CEN/TS 19101:2022: one step closer to a new Eurocode
• China: composite materials are now used for bridge suspension and repair
• Composite materials in civil engineering and architecture in Italy
• Reinforcing the future: composites in civil infrastructure and building construction industry, with Acciona Construction
• Redefining architectural and design boundaries with advanced composite materials, with BFG
Solutions
• Flax fibre revolution: sustainable composites enter automotive production with the Volvo EX30
• How to decarbonise the maritime sector: a sea serpent rearing its ugly head?
Technology
• DATC: a multiscale design framework for advanced tailorable composites and hybrid material systems
• Inside the lab: Fraunhofer Innovation Platform @ UNIST – South Korea
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