Nobel Sustainability Award for Carbon Concrete Research
Professor Manfred Curbach has been awarded the 2025 Sustainability Award by the Nobel Sustainability Trust for his pioneering research on carbon concrete. The CUBE, the world’s first building constructed from carbon concrete, was created in collaboration between the material researcher and HENN.
Completed in 2022, this experimental building brings together a laboratory, offices, and event spaces for the Technical University of Dresden within a space of 243 square meters. Its exterior form interprets the fluid, textile qualities of carbon fibers as a cohesive architectural expression.
The project was jointly developed by Professor Curbach and the Institute of Concrete Structures at TU Dresden, together with experts in design, architecture, materials research, visualization, and model construction from HENN. The implementation was carried out by AIB Architects and Engineers.
From the Nobel Sustainability Trust’s statement:
“Prof. Manfred Curbach, a civil engineer at TU Dresden, is the pioneer of carbon concrete, a sustainable alternative to reinforced concrete. Carbon concrete allows for resource-efficient, lightweight, and material-saving construction, enabling significant CO₂ reductions.”
