Swedish concrete element manufacturer Heidelberg Materials Precast Contiga and Metsä Wood have developed a hybrid wall element with a lower carbon footprint than conventional concrete wall elements.

The hybrid wall element is a sandwich construction, intended for facades. The outer layer is made of concrete, insulation, and a load-bearing inner panel made of Kerto laminated veneer lumber (LVL), which you can find in our collection here.

The wall is said to have a 30 to 50 per cent lower climate impact than traditional concrete sandwich elements. In addition, the wall element is about 60 per cent lighter, which also affects the climate impact of the project positively. Transportation to the construction site can be reduced as well, as there can be transported twice as much elements in the same shipment.

Around 1 million square meters of concrete wall elements are produced annually in Finland. Their load-bearing core creates 45,000 tons of CO2 emissions. If all concrete walls were replaced with hybrid sandwich wall elements, according to Metsä Wood, CO2 emissions would decrease by 30,000 tons a year and 95,000 tons of carbon would be stored. 

Photos: Metsä Wood