Holcim was selected by a prestigious jury for four of its innovative sustainable construction solutions. These solutions include the ECOCycle® circular technology, the ECOPact and ECOPlanet product ranges, including the Austrian-developed ECOPlanet RC and an innovative application of calcined clay, and the intelligent Carbon Prestressed Concrete (CPC) for better construction with less material.
Award for ECOPlanet RC cement innovation with more than 25% recycled construction waste
The combination of ECOCycle® with ECOPlanet RC was used for the construction of the Reininghaus elementary school in Graz. The ECOPlanet RC is a development by Holcim Austria in Retznei, where Holcim operates the Retznei Recycling Center as a joint venture alongside the cement plant."The ECOPlanet RC achieves a total input of more than 25 percent recycled construction waste in the cement. The patented "Rapid Carb" process incorporates additional CO2 directly into the recycled material. In this way, Holcim is driving forward decarbonization and the circular economy, while maintaining full product quality and performance.”, says Haimo Primas, CEO Holcim (Austria). In November 2024, the Reininghaus elementary school in Graz was opened, a construction project for which the ECOPlanet RC was also used. In addition to the versatile learning space concept with high-quality design, the public school campus with 20 classes also focuses on harmonizing microclimate, rainwater management and biodiversity.
About the Innovation Award Architecture+ Construction
The Architecture+ Construction Innovation Award recognizes products and solutions that are characterized by a high degree of design and functionality and meet the high demands of architects. The Architecture+ Construction Innovation Award was launched by the architecture trade magazine AIT and AIT-Dialog in cooperation with Messe München GmbH, the organizer of BAU Munich. Edelio Bermejo, Head of Research & Development and Innovation at Holcim, said: “This award recognizes the innovative strength of our teams around the world and reflects Holcim's broad range of advanced sustainable building solutions for customers, as well as some of our breakthroughs in circularity, innovative formulations and smart design.”
In addition to the ECOPlanet RC project, the award was given for the application of Holcim innovations in other projects: ECOCycle® and ECOPact were combined for the construction of the Rheydt fire station in Mönchengladbach (Germany). Holcim produced reusable, recyclable CPC boards for the Winterthur innovation laboratory (Switzerland). Holcim's ECOPlanet with calcined clay was used for the Olympic port project in Marseille (France). All cements in the ECOPlanet product family produced in Austria are already below the limit of 469 kg CO2 / tonne of cement, which is considered a significant contribution to climate protection in the EU taxonomy. ECOPlanet cement products already cover more than half of the cement portfolio sold by Holcim in Austria in terms of value and quantity.
