New vaulted style of floor cuts concrete use, University of Bath Architecture News, Sustainable building design
New vaulted style of floor cuts concrete usage – reducing carbon
19 February 2022
Thin shell concrete floors
Location: University of Bath, southwest England, UK
Changing the shape of floors could cut concrete usage by 75 percent
Swapping solid slab floors for a ?thin shell? vaulted alternative could help the construction industry towards its net-zero targets
University of Bath Posts
Dr Paul Shepherd of the University of Bath stands on the ACORN project?s thin-shell concrete floor:

A new vaulted style of floor developed in the UK uses 75% less concrete than a traditional flat slab floor and could help the construction industry reduce its carbon footprint. An interdisciplinary team of structural engineers, mathematicians and manufacturing experts from the Universities of Bath, Cambridge and Dundee has unveiled a full-scale demonstration of a thin-shell floor, which uses 60% less carbon in its construction than an equivalent flat slab that could carry the same load.

The curved vault-shaped structure is covered by standard raised floor panels to create a level surface.
Created by the UKRI-funded ACORN (Automating Concrete Construction) research project, the innovative vault-shaped floor design takes advantage of concrete?s inherent natural properties and strengths.

The team has demonstrated that the new process could significantly reduce the carbon footprint ...