AZL establishes new workgroup on composites in buildings and infrastructure

The Aachener Zentrum für integrativen Leichtbau  (AZL), translated as the Aachen Center for Integrative Lightweight Production, resides on the Campus of RWTH Aachen University (Aachen, Germany) has completed an initial market and technology study that identified new potentials for composite technologies in buildings and infrastructure markets. The next step is for the new AZL Workgroup to meet for the first time on Jan. 25, 2018 to jointly develop new applications and to support the business development for composites in these two growing markets. The meeting is open to interested companies from the composite industry as well as the building and infrastructure markets.

The aim of the initial workgroup meeting will be to turn insights from the study into a long-term workgroup collaboration and to define topics and initiatives for the joint cooperation in the field of process and manufacturing technologies, fire safety regulations, materials as well as standards and norms. Industrial keynote presentations will introduce these action fields and will provide an insight into building and infrastructure applications for composites. The meeting will furthermore provide a platform to network with companies along the entire composite value chain.

Amer Affan, CEO and founder of AFFAN Innovative Structures based in Dubai is in charge of various composite projects for buildings such as the Museum of the Future in Dubai. “We have been utilizing structural composites in construction since 2010. Composites is a truly high-tech material compared with the traditional building materials (steel, concrete, timber and aluminum) but it is still to be recognized as such in the conservative and price-sensitive building industry,” he says. “AZL, particularly its location at the RWTH Aachen University and its partner companies, offers a good platform to progress the use of composites in construction.”

AZL, together with more than 25 companies, just completed the joint market and technology study on “New Potentials for Composite Technologies in Buildings and Infrastructure” establishing a broad knowledge on business opportunities for composite technologies in these two growing markets. In a structured approach, the study determined the key segments as well as the technologies/applications with the highest market and technological potential. Analyses of 20 market segments, investigation of 438 applications, technology analyses of 25 highlight components and 11 detailed business cases were elaborated throughout the study. Additional to requirement analyses for materials and production technologies, new concepts for efficient profitable production technologies and cost engineering analysis were developed. With the workgroup, the AZL will take this initiative a step further with the aim to build a long-term cooperation platform for composites in buildings and infrastructure markets.

Besides the networking options, the meeting will offer the opportunity to get an insight into the activities of the AZL Network consisting of nine research institutes at the RWTH Aachen Campus and more than 80 companies from 21 countries. During an optional guided tour, participants will visit selected institutes at the RWTH Aachen Campus. The meeting is open to all interested companies and free of charge.