New competition focuses on sustainable concrete

To speed up the process of finding new sustainable and innovative ways of building in concrete, KADK, Aarhus School of Architecture and the trade association Dansk Beton focus on sustainable concrete.

27.05.2019

Today’s students of architecture will be shaping tomorrow’s building sector. Their contributions to finding new sustainable uses of concrete is crucial for changing current practices and reducing CO2 emissions in the building sector. We need to develop innovative sustainable uses of concrete, ranging from new ways of designing, producing, processing, transforming and using concrete, to rethinking how concrete can be broken down and reused.

Are you a student of architecture? Do you have an idea for how we can build more sustainably using concrete? This is your opportunity to present and exhibit your idea at Building Green, in Copenhagen, on 31 October. With this prize and the consequent debate, Dansk Beton, Aarhus School of Architecture and the Institute of Architecture and Technology at KADK wish to focus on and reward projects that present new and innovative sustainable uses of concrete.

We need new and innovative ways of using concrete

– It is no secret that concrete can have a negative impact on the climate. We therefore have to find new and innovative sustainable uses of concrete. For one thing to meet the goal of the concrete and construction industry: to reduce CO2 emissions from concrete by half by 2030, says Dorthe Mathiesen, industry sector executive at Dansk Beton, part of The Danish Construction Association.
Master students at KADK already work with sustainable construction – e.g. when they work with UN’s world goals.
– We are calling for an innovative use of concrete that, for instance, demonstrates how you can minimise material consumption, optimise material properties, reduce transport and material consumption for formwork, re-use and future-proof the value of concrete elements, strengthen sustainable operation and maintenance, or utilise circular design principles, says Natalie Mossin, head of the Institute of Architecture and Technology at KADK (The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture).
– At Aarhus School of Architecture we work intensively with how materials can be processed, used and experienced in built form. Although concrete is used extensively in modern construction, it mostly has a structural role and is often concealed under more precious materials. We are looking for a project that, besides having sustainable qualities, also releases the aesthetic potential of concrete, says Jon Krähling Engholt, PhD fellow at Aarhus School of Architecture.

Facts about the competition

You need to be a student at KADK or Aarhus School of Architecture to participate in the competition.
The requirements for participating in the competition are:

that concrete is an important material in the project
that the use of concrete is sustainably justified
that the project is aesthetically well-considered

You must describe the project on an overall level, why concrete is an important material in the project, the sustainable use of concrete, and your aesthetic deliberations.

Three projects are nominated. They will be exhibited at KADK’s stall at Building Green, on 31 October 2019, in Copenhagen. The winner receives a statement from the jury and is chosen following a panel debate on what is needed to kick-start a more sustainable use of concrete in the building sector.

The panel and the jury consist of six members: Professor Anne Beim, KADK; Head of Institute Natalie Mossin, KADK; PhD Jon Kråhling Engholt, Aarhus School of Architecture; industry sector executive Dorthe Mathiesen, Dansk Beton, The Danish Construction Association; Architect Anne-Mette Manelius, Vandkunsten; and Director Kasper Guldager Jensen, GXN.

The winner receives a travel grant of DKK 10,000, to be used for seeing inspirational concrete projects. The project that receives the 1st prize, will be mentioned with an article in Dansk Beton’s magazine BETON. The magazine is published quarterly in 6,000 copies and on social media. There will also be a follow-up on the use of the travel grant: a travel description, which will also be published.

You must submit two to three pages (A4) as a PDF file: one page of description and one to two pages containing images and/or drawings. Send the file to info@danskbeton.dk. The file may not exceed 19 MB. The images should support the description of the project. All pages must contain the student’s name, year group, affiliation with KADK/Aarhus School of Architecture and contact information in the form of an email address and a phone number.

The deadline for entries is 6 September 2019.