Sustainable Facade Solutions: Advantages of GFRC & Various Design Options  

The development of glassfibre reinforced concrete was inspired by Rieder's vision of a concrete cladding panel that is both stable and lightweight. The material convinces with its range of benefits when it comes to design: The elements with only 13 mm thickness come in a variety of colors, textures and surface finishes, thus offering numerous possibilities for the creative use of structure and form. The malleability of the panels allows them to be smoothly shaped around corners and edges. World first: With the goal of ensuring the preservation of the world for future generations, the facade specialist developed a cement-reduced concrete matrix. The cement in the Rieder facade slabs will gradually be replaced by natural pozzolans, which are manufactured with significantly lower CO₂ emissions.

In addition to durability, low maintenance and total fire resistance, the products also impress when it comes to eco-friendly: It goes without saying that Rieder uses non-toxic products (free of crystalline silicon dioxide) and reduces its use of primary energy in production to a minimum. In line with the zero-waste policy, for example, all waste materials from production are reused in other areas and innovative technologies help reduce offcuts.

This course presents the advantages and high performance of glassfibre reinforced concrete facades. Furthermore the flexibility of the material, various design options, sustainable facts and tailor-made building solutions will be discussed.

Photo courtesy of Rieder Facades/Rasmus Norlander

JR Hughes, is a owner of "Hughes Group" an independent manufacturer's agent since 1998. In 2014 he founded "Centerline Architectural Supply". A complete fabrication and distribution company for Rain-Screen Systems. In 2020 Centerline formed a Joint venture with Rieder, offering fabrication services and design assist to the market. He leads the U.S. technical team and assist the national sales network.

Frank Wagenbauer, is a qualified Austrian sales director, who restructured sales teams and improved overall sales in various European companies. He joined Rieder in 2017 and is responsible for project management and first class customer experiences all over the world. As a graduate of the Vienna University of Economics, Frank lives with his family in Vienna.