Finnish company wins major construction innovation award in Paris

Betolar, a Finnish company, has won first prize in the prestigious INTERMAT Innovation Awards competition in Paris for its cutting-edge hollow-core slab solution. Betolar was awarded in the construction, building technology and concrete industry category held alongside the INTERMAT construction trade fair.

Betolar’s innovative Geoprime hollow-core slab allows the production of the world’s lowest-emission precast concrete elements. The solution helps precast manufacturers meet growing demand for low-carbon construction products.

“Hollow-core slabs are a crucial structural component in concrete construction, and developing a truly low-carbon solution has been a long process. It’s great that our persistent R&D work is now being recognized at this level,” said Jarno Poskela, Betolar’s Chief Technology Officer.

Cement manufacturing accounts for around 7% of global CO2 emissions. As a high-volume product, hollow-core slabs represent a significant emissions source in construction. Transitioning to low-carbon solutions like Betolar’s across Europe could reduce emissions by over 3 million tonnes per year.

“The concrete binder is the biggest carbon source across the value chain. Alternatives to cement clinker must be widely adopted. Betolar’s geopolymer-based hollow-core slabs show this is viable today. The jury appreciated combining low-carbon binders with prefabrication as a step forward in decoupling concrete from emissions,” the INTERMAT jury stated.

Betolar’s patented Geoprime material solution utilizes recycled industrial side streams to replace cement as the binder. This allows Geoprime hollow-core slabs to match the performance of traditional cement-based products but with a carbon footprint up to 75% lower.