VeBTamaN: Economic Vertical Elements Made of Solid Natural Stone as an Ecological Load-Bearing Alternative to Ele-ments Made of Energy-Intensive Materials for Timber-Hybrid Constructions
In cooperation with:
- Chair of Design and Construction I (EKI), Faculty of Architecture, Technical University of Dresden
- German Natural Stone Association e.V. (DNV), Würzburg
Regionally sourced natural stone, used as a load-bearing construction material, can make a significant contribution to decarbonizing the construction industry. Its low-energy extraction, high load-bearing capacity, durability, and excellent recyclability make it ideal for circular and future-proof construction methods. Natural stone presents a promising alternative to energy- and CO2-intensive building materials such as reinforced concrete and artificial masonry.
The research project examines how load-bearing and stiffening components made of natural stone can replace CO2-intensive building materials in hybrid structures. The goal is to significantly reduce the primary energy demand of timber hybrid constructions, thereby creating ecological added value. A holistic approach is taken to explore how load-bearing natural stone structures can be optimized to economically compete with concrete and artificial masonry construction methods. Factors such as material properties, component sizes, structural behaviour, CO2 balance, durability, load-bearing behaviour under fire, reusability, prefabrication, and both industrial and artisanal assembly and maintenance are being investigated.
This project serves as the starting point and is part of a comprehensive research initiative aimed at establishing economic load-bearing structures made of natural stone in Germany as an ecological alternative for all structural components currently relying on energy-intensive building materials. The significant potential of load-bearing structures made from regionally sourced natural stone is to be clearly demonstrated. This will be achieved through the development, analysis, and practical preparation of efficient, cost-optimized, durable, resource-saving, circular, and maintenance-friendly structural systems made of natural stone within the research project.
Thus, the project contributes to the decarbonization of the construction industry, focusing on locally abundant materials that enable regional value creation, secure supply chains, minimized transport effort, and environmentally friendly extraction methods.