LIST contributes to develop sustainable building

As the first state to embark on the Third Industrial Revolution following the Rifkin study, circular economy is of crucial importance for Luxembourg.

In this respect, the use of products of plant origin as an alternative to materials derived from the oil industry is essential for both the environment and the economy.

The construction sector is the second in terms of importance in the Grand Duchy.

This is why the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) launched the CANCAN research project, supported by the National Research Fund (FNR) and in partnership with Neobuild, a group of building actors promoting innovation in this sector.

The CANCAN project's ambition is to use fiber plants to integrate them into building materials.

This would make it possible to reduce the ecological footprint of the sector but also to confer valuable properties to the materials concerned (concrete, bricks, etc.).

In this case, the research plant is industrial hemp. Its fibers and especially their walls are therefore used to innovate in construction. The project started in 2014, financed in part by the FNR.

Concrete made from these fibers will be strengthened. Neobuild participates actively in the project and more generally works regularly with the different departments of LIST.

Given the importance of the construction sector in the country, Neobuild's confidence in LIST shows the role played by the Institute in the diversification of the Luxembourg economy through innovation.

The consortium of actors in the construction sector networks LIST with partners in the sector, in order to allow a full-scale test of the work carried out by the researchers.

On the sidelines of the next agricultural fair in Ettelbruck, a demonstrator will be accessible to highlight the specificities and contributions of industrial hemp and other plants in sustainable construction. LIST will take part alongside a dozen other actors working in the sector.

The CANCAN project will be completed in 2018. Among the feedback already available, it should be pointed out that the approach to integrating agro-resources in construction, in order to make it sustainable, must be linked directly to the local agricultural sector.

The partnership between LIST and Neobuild has been enriching for each of the parties and encourages further collaboration on other projects.