Building for the future - adult education center visits the CUBE carbon concrete building

What does construction look like in a world that uses fewer resources - and yet can do more? A look inside the CUBE shows that future materials have long been a reality.

The construction sector is under pressure: climate change, scarce resources and high CO₂ emissions call for new approaches. Carbon-reinforded concrete is one of these promising solutions. The composite material made of concrete and carbon fibers could replace traditional reinforced concrete in many areas in the future - lighter, more durable and significantly more resource-efficient.

As part of the VHS course "Building for the future - carbon-reinforced concrete as a sustainable alternative", we opened the doors of the CUBE carbon concrete house together with the Dresden Adult Education Center.

On the evening of November 18, 2025, 23 participants met in front of the building on the TU Dresden campus. After a brief welcome, Paul Heber gave an introduction to the history, architecture and functionality of the research building. The CUBE is the first building in the world to be constructed entirely without metal reinforcement - a clear example of how light, delicate and at the same time powerful the material can be used.

The tour then continued to the Otto Mohr Laboratory. There, the guests were able to get to know the large test hall, the technical center and the various testing machines - including systems for bending, compression and fatigue tests. A particular highlight was the live carbon concrete tensile test, which demonstrated the forces that carbon reinforcement can actually absorb.

We would like to thank the Dresden Adult Education Center for their cooperation and our colleagues from the Institute of Concrete Structures and the Otto Mohr Laboratory for their great support.