New research center for decarbonization of concrete opens in Hamm
On January 27, 2026, Goldbeck, a construction and service company operating throughout Europe, opened a concrete research center at its precast concrete plant in Hamm (Westphalia). At the Concrete Innovation Center, the company is primarily researching and working on the decarbonization of the building material. Through the digital and cross-plant networking of science and start-up approaches with the real production environment, Goldbeck aims to enable precast concrete elements with net zero emissions in the medium term.
Concrete is the most commonly used building material worldwide. At the same time, its production accounts for approximately eight percent of global CO₂emissions. At the Concrete Innovation Center in Hamm, Goldbeck is therefore developing solutions for the decarbonization of concrete. Compared to the CO₂ industry reference values for concrete according to the Concrete Sustainability Council, significant savings of up to 35% have already been achieved. In the 2030s, the company aims to produce precast concrete elements with net-zero emissions – potentially at no extra cost. In the long term, the concrete developed at the Concrete Innovation Center can even act as a CO₂sink, meaning that the building material binds more emissions than it releases. This development will enable new buildings to meet strict regulatory requirements economically and companies to achieve their sustainability goals even more efficiently.
Sustainable concrete – economical and scalable
One component of decarbonization is the use of more sustainable cements and binders. In addition, concrete formulations, mixing concepts, and manufacturing processes are being optimized to significantly reduce the cement content. To ensure consistently high quality, however, methods are being used to accelerate the hardening process. This is particularly important for serial construction, as it allows components to be processed more quickly.
„If you really want to promote sustainable construction, you have to take a holistic view of the building over its entire life cycle,“ emphasizes Jan-Hendrik Goldbeck, managing partner. „At the Concrete Innovation Center, we are working on processes that can be applied on an industrial scale and in the market. We are developing solutions for the world‘s most important building material and are thus pulling a lever that is highly relevant for decarbonization on a global level.“
Combining research and production
The Concrete Innovation Center is unique in its approach: „Here, we bring together what is otherwise only considered separately: research into the building material, concrete production, and the ‚normal‘ production of prefabricated components,“ says team leader Dr. Thomas Adams, who is primarily responsible for the center. Findings from the laboratory are immediately tested in production. The results, in turn, form the basis for further optimization. From Hamm, the innovations and processes that have proven themselves are continuously rolled out to all plant locations.
The plant with the new Concrete Innovation Center is located near one of the most important cement regions in Germany. This creates a variety of synergies with local industry – for example, through short transport routes for important concrete raw materials or close cooperation with suppliers. Through research projects with universities, Goldbeck wants to intensify the dialogue between business and science at the center. Start-ups that develop sustainable concrete solutions are welcome to use the center to further develop their concepts for industrial application.
