Green innovation of ultra-high performance concrete: a knowledge-based approach for the project

Abstract

Although concrete is responsible of 27% of the CO₂ emissions of the entire industrial sector, the material is required more every year. To reduce the impacts and quantities used, the International Energy Agency suggests the optimisation of the molecular composition of the concrete to enhance its performances. Based on this principle, ultra-high performance concretes are at the centre of a positive convergence of environmental, production and economic demands in the Italian construction sector. This paper presents both knowledge-based approaches for improving the cohesion between the design and production phases and applications for the redevelopment of buildings and infrastructures, thus demonstrating the validity of the proposed solutions for achieving carbon neutral objectives.