Innovative acoustic panels win prestigious materials award
Troldtekt acoustic panels based on the cement type FUTURECEM™ are among the winners at raumprobe Materialpreis 2022. The award honours outstanding and innovative building materials. With the award comes a place in raumprobe’s ‘LeBox’ concept, which involves sending a ‘black box’ of samples of building materials to 100 architects.
Troldtekt acoustic panels based on FUTURECEM have a negative carbon footprint during production. Since their launch earlier this year, the panels have been widely recognised and won a Green Product Award 2022, a German Innovation Award 2022 – and now also a Materialpreis 2022.
The organisation raumprobe which, among other things, runs an online material database, is behind the award, which celebrates outstanding and innovative building materials of high quality. Troldtekt officially received the award at a ceremony in Stuttgart on Wednesday, 22 June.
At the awards ceremony, raumprobe had set up a special exhibition with the award-winning materials. In addition, samples of all the materials will be included in the ‘LeBox’, a concept that combines the physical experience with an online presentation. raumprobe sends the box to 100 architects, and then presents the materials at a so-called ‘materinar’ in July.
All the same advantages
The cement type FUTURECEM has a carbon footprint which is approx. 30 per cent lower than that of traditional cement. The wood, which is the other raw material in the acoustic panels, absorbs more CO2 when the trees are growing than is emitted in total by the production of FUTURECEM, the transport of the raw materials and the production of the Troldtekt acoustic panels. The result is carbon negativity.
The carbon footprint throughout the entire life cycle of the panels has been documented in new Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). According to the EPDs, the acoustic panels have a negative carbon footprint throughout their useful lives, which is typically 50-70 years. All the advantages of the classic cement-bonded wood wool panels – including good acoustics, effective fire protection and natural strength – have been preserved in the FUTURECEM-based panels.
“It marks something of a breakthrough that we can replace traditional cement with FUTURECEM without impairing the properties of the panels. We now have a cement-based product which has a negative carbon footprint during production and right up until the point at which it is recycled or disposed of,” says Vibeke Pedersen, Head of Engineering Department at Troldtekt A/S.
Like the other Troldtekt cement-bonded wood wool products, Troldtekt based on FUTURECEM is Cradle to Cradle-certified at Gold level.