Concrete is the most versatile and widely-used building material ever invented, but its key ingredient, cement, is responsible for around eight percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. That’s why five years ago, a group of German material scientists and architects decided to design the world’s first building made from sustainable carbon concrete composite (C³). And in September, the CUBE exhibition centre in Dresden was opened to the public by Saxony’s minister for regional development, Thomas Schmidt.

"The carbon concrete building CUBE is a big step towards a future-proof building sector,” said Minister Schmidt at the opening, according to Innovations Report. “Carbon concrete can already drastically reduce the energy consumption of the construction industry. Used on a large scale, it can make construction more energy-efficient, more material-friendly and more circular.”

C³ concrete is reinforced by tiny carbon fibres that are meshed into a matrix to provide super strength and flexibility. The fibres used in the CUBE were produced from petroleum-based polyacrylonitrile (PAN) but can also be made from lignin, derived from paper waste. Moreover, C³ contains 70 percent less embodied carbon than a regular concrete and is four times stronger.

The unveiling was a landmark moment for the Technical University of Dresden, which has been working on carbon-reinforced construction materials since 1998. Science aside, the CUBE is also an architectural gem: the 220m² building is enclosed by two slender shells of contoured concrete that twist out of the wall and merge into the roof area to form an upper enclosure.

Financed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, C³ is the largest research initiative in German construction. Around 226 companies, institutions and associations participated in its delivery, not forgetting the concept designers HENN and Architekten Ingenieure Bautzen (AIB).