LafargeHolcim partners with Southeast University in Nanjing, China, where it is sponsoring research into concrete and mortars for on-site 3D printing. The announcement follows the recent launch of a 3D printing hackathon to reinvent the building industry.
With the goal of making construction 3D printing more efficient while lowering its carbon footprint, the provider of green building solutions currently leads the largest R&D organization in its industry with six innovation centers serving customers across all its markets, employing 300 researchers and drawing on 1,500 active patents. LafargeHolcim dedicates 55% of its innovation resources to advancing green construction with 45% of its patents in this area today and will become a full 3D printing solutions provider.
Professor Yamei Zhang of Southeast University says: “My team and I have been working on sustainable concrete and the development of 3D printing concrete technology. The partnership with LafargeHolcim will allow us to take it to the next level.”
This research is the latest step in broadening LafargeHolcim’s distinguished academic network. The company works with forty leading university departments around the world in fields ranging from materials science to civil engineering to sustainable construction. Many of the PhD students from the network go on to become employees of LafargeHolcim, helping to develop visionary innovations.
“Our global network of academic partners is critical in helping us think outside the box. We need the brightest minds to help us lead the next frontier of building solutions,” emphasizes Edelio Bermejo, Head of R&D for LafargeHolcim.
LafargeHolcim currently finances two university chairs advancing sustainable construction, one at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, Switzerland, and one at the École des Ponts ParisTech in Paris, France. Other partnerships across the network are driving innovation in low-carbon and resource-efficient buildings, as well as resilience and durability of concrete structures, taking place at such prestigious institutions as IIT Madras (Chennai, India), Cape Town University (South Africa), TU Braunschweig (Germany) and University of Cambridge (UK). Announcements on further partnerships are expected in the coming months.
LafargeHolcim also strengthens its innovation network by partnering with hundreds of start-ups around the world that are experts in fields such as AI and digitalization.
All these collaborations help expand the company’s offering of low-carbon products and solutions as part of its journey to net zero.
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