ACCIONA receives for the third time the JEC Innovation Award thanks to its achievements in composite materials with the European project Biobuild

ACCIONA has won 2015 JEC Innovation Award Europe in the category “construction” for the first self-supporting façade panel using bio-materials developed in the framework of the European Project Biobuild.

This is the third time that ACCIONA receives this prize: the first time was in 2011 for the trough beam from Almuñécar footbridge, and one year later, the second time in 2012 for the carbon fiber cables from Cuenca Footbridge.

Biobuild is a collaborative project part-funded by the European Commission through the 7th Framework programme. It has 13 companies –ACCIONA Infraestructuras among them- from seven European countries.

Thanks BIOBUILD, it has been possible to develop the first self-supporting façade panel using innovative materials based on natural rapidly renewable resources in order to reduce the embodied energy (raw materials obtaining, manufacturing, maintenance and removal to landfill) at least 50% over current materials with no increase in cost.

Composites involved in the development are byproducts of agricultural processing: flax and hemp have been the natural fibers joint to natural resins have formed the biocomposites. These allow the use of sustainable materials, replacing the traditional construction materials: steel, aluminum, concrete and fiber reinforced polymers.

JEC Company –a non-profit association dedicated to the promotion of composites – has recognized this advance with the JEC Innovation Award Europe in the category “construction” for Biobuild Façade System in Biocomposites. The award ceremony took place on the last 10^th March in Paris. Javier Sacristan Bermejo (PhD. & Biobuild Project Manager) and Nayra Uranga Loredo (R&D Engineer) received the prize. Both work in the Polymer and Composite Group of Technology & Innovation Division of ACCIONA Infraestructuras.

This is the third time that ACCIONA receives this prize in acknowledgment of its work in composites field: the first time was in 2011 for the trough beam from Almuñécar footbridge, the world’s longest ever built single composite beam bridge, and one year later, the second time in 2012 for the longest stressed ribbon bridge built in Cuenca, (Spain) supported by 16 cables made from carbon fiber.