From the Roman Pantheon to Arthur Erickson’s West Coast modern designs, concrete has time and time again proved itself to be as versatile as it is durable—and a source of endless inspiration to architects, engineers, and designers. It’s one of those rare materials that feels both fresh and timeless; a material that offers endless opportunity for creativity and inventive applications, particularly when used to create striking modern facades.

Few know the impact of concrete better than Wolfgang Rieder, CEO of Rieder Facades, an innovative Austrian-based concrete technology company. “I don’t see facades merely as the outermost layer of a building, but rather as a multifaceted organism for the building, and also as a boundary and skin of the city and of the public sphere,” explains Rieder. “Texture, color and formation of the wall surfaces have a significant impact on how space is perceived.”

And in 2022, we’re still perceiving concrete as the ultimate cool—and the industry’s latest trends easily confirm it.

Sustainable Concrete Mixes

A new wave of concrete mixes only adds to the material’s green reputation. Rieder’s cement-reduced concrete matrix, for instance, subs out 50 percent of cement for glassfiber, which reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 30 percent. (It also happens to give the final material a unique pine-green hue and rich texture, which can be seen via Rieder’s new headquarters in Maishofen, Austria.)

Rieder is the first facade manufacturer to produce carbon dioxide-reduced, glassfiber reinforced concrete. “We don't just want to talk,” says Rieder. “For the ecological transition to succeed, doing is important. With the goal of safeguarding the future of the company and of ensuring the preservation of the world for future generations, we take comprehensive steps to accelerate the greening of the company.”

In addition to offering diverse and flexible design options, glassfiber reinforced concrete also has impressive technical properties. With a thickness of only 13 millimeters, it’s durable and non-combustible, and free of crystalline silica. The panels are also easy to install and require little maintenance.

Big Is Beautiful

It’s downright awe-inspiring to see what lightweight concrete can enable engineers and architects to do. Such is the case with Rieder’s formparts22 (made of reinforced fibreC glassfiber concrete): monolithic concrete elements offer a high degree of flexibility and various design options for innovative building envelopes. With low weight and large span widths (and convenient pre-assembly in factory), Rieder’s formparts are ideal for facades designed with challenging geometries—think L- or U-cross sections, rounded arches, or special shapes with expanses of 16 feet.

Plug and Play Installation

Though concrete has traditionally been a heavy and cumbersome material to work with, today’s smartly designed mounting systems make installation a breeze. Case in point? Rieder’s jointed formed parts, which are easily connected using different mounting brackets. A simple anchorage system allows on-site adjustment, high fitting accuracy, and concealed mounting, compatible with all standard supporting structures.

Mixing Materials

“Wood and concrete are not opposites,” says Rieder. “They are the new normal.” Together, these organic materials are what Rieder calls an “unbeatable team” for ecological construction. Pairing glassfiber reinforced concrete panels with CLT (cross laminated timber) might just be the future of structural engineering. “It is resource-saving, time-saving and ecological, benefiting people and the environment,” notes Rieder. These benefits are thanks to the prefabricated nature of the elements, which significantly reduce construction costs and time, and ensure a high-quality standard, an efficient and flexible construction process, and rapid assembly on site.

Use What’s Already There

The addition of concrete to a renovation is a popular way to rejuvenate a building past its prime. Rieder’s new headquarters, for instance, was built from a pre-existing structure — a prime example of how concrete can aid in sustainable construction. “Using what's there already rather than building something new is known to be the best way to save grey energy and reduce land sealing,” says Rieder.

Here, a disused bus garage was turned into an experimental laboratory for greening. The Rieder team also used concrete columns from the founder’s grandfather's and father's old factories, a previously produced massive concrete beam, 150 tons of recycled steel girders, and much more. “The principle of building in the existing fabric allowed us to save around 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide compared with a new building, while at the same time turning an unattractive building into a prime example of resource-efficient circular construction,” says Rieder.

Designing Buildings to Last

For sustainability minded designers (and who isn’t one these days?), concrete’s longevity makes it extra appealing to work with. A material that can withstand an enormous amount of wear and tear and bring a chic Brutalist vibe to a project? Yes, please. “The life cycle of buildings must increase,” says Rieder, advocating for more revitalization of existing buildings and embracing durable building materials. The Romans knew this well: For the Pantheon and other indelible projects, they used a cast masonry method called “opus caementicium,” which included pozzolana as a binder to give the material a durability that exceeds that of modern concrete. Now, Rieder is following suit with its own new concrete matrix. “Innovation and tradition are strongly linked and continually complement each other,” says Rieder.

Learn more about sustainable concrete with character at rieder.cc.

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