Future building materials

Preserving houses, office buildings, bridges, and viaducts makes the biggest contribution to reducing emissions. In addition to technical knowledge for extending the service life, TNO offers know-how for factoring user considerations into decisions. What measures can you take to extend the service life as effectively as possible?

In addition to service life extension, demand for new construction will remain high. To make this as sustainable as possible, TNO focuses on the reuse of elements such as floors or walls, which has bigger impact on cutting carbon emissions than the reuse of granulates.

With targeted lab research, we support companies with specific questions. To demonstrate the properties of a new product, TNO can develop a customised test method or set up a monitoring study to validate performance. We also provide small-scale on-site advice, for example, on preservation and product development.

The TNO Building Innovation Lab is a state-of-the-art facility where we conduct applied research into innovations in building materials, climate systems, and structures. Using tailor-made test and research set-ups customised to specific client needs, we study the performance and ageing of materials to determine whether innovations meet practical requirements.

TNO is capable of setting up complex studies, supported by the right lab facilities and delivering reliable results, often in Public-Private Partnerships. A notable example is the living lab established with Rijkswaterstaat, where TNO is monitoring the use of geopolymer concrete by provincial authorities and water boards over a five-year period.

TNO Building Materials stands out for its broad and in-depth applied scientific knowledge of stone-based materials. This extensive scope allows us to work beyond normative frameworks on solutions that demonstrate an innovation meets established requirements.

In addition, TNO has interdisciplinary expertise in related fields such as bio-based construction and the ability to assess the environmental impact and LCAs of innovative materials. Collaboration with mobility experts further enables us to map the impact of infrastructure works on traffic.

TNO is also actively involved in leading national and international committees, programmes, and working groups, such as the International Federation for Structural Concrete (fib) and the RILEM network, ensuring we are among the first to learn about future legislation and regulations.

Using our models, construction partners can calculate combinations of different materials and processes to optimise environmental impact as early as the design phase. This creates hybrid buildings, combining existing materials and structures with wood, bio-based, and more sustainable concrete.

Partners can accelerate sustainable innovation in construction by using TNO technology made available under licence.