| Dear Sir or Madam,
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| It is, of course, far from usual to give yourself a present on your own birthday. In this case, however, I allow myself an exception – because precisely one day before publication of this BFT newsletter I turned a “round” 60. The topic of concrete has accompanied me since I was 16 and has never quite let go of me ever since. At that time, I began my training to become a specialist in reinforced-concrete construction at the BMK in Dresden. I successfully completed this training in 1984. After some years as a journeyman on many construction sites of the former East Germany, interrupted only by 18 months of basic military service, I began my studies in my home town of Cottbus. As a freshly graduated civil engineer, I was drawn to begin of my profession, in 1992 - the German reunification two years earlier made it possible - to what was then West Germany, at first to an architectural and engineering firm in Hanover. After further positions in the industry − including for the company Holcim Deutschland, one of the big players in the cement and concrete sector – I ended up, in 2013, in Gütersloh (Westphalia). There I’ve worked, to this day, for Bauverlag as editor for BFT, since 2019 as editor-in-chief. Looking back, these past twelve years have been the best in my professional life, with special thanks to the contacts with you, dear readers, and with those of you in concrete plants and at events such as the Ulm Betontage and at the international trade fairs like bauma. I look forward to additionally exciting conversations in the future – so please stay tuned! Yours Silvio Schade
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|  Figure: Wöhrl
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| | Turkish association delegation visiting the new Wöhrl facility |  | Wöhrl Ziegelwerk-Deckensysteme GmbH, an owner-managed company in the fifth generation, has been manufacturing precast floor slabs of the highest quality at the Wolfersdorf site for more than 50 years now. Since the existing plant has been getting on in years, the idea for installing a new plant at the new Zolling location was developed. Prilhofer Consulting was assigned with planning the new ...
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|  Figure: Elematic
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| | CO₂-cured precast concrete solution |  | This innovative CO₂-curing solution offers a scalable way to improve the cost, speed, and quality of precast concrete production while improving sustainability by permanently storing carbon in the end products. Elematic, a globally recognized manufacturer of precast concrete technology, and Carbonaide, a leader in carbon dioxide utilization and storage solutions for the building industry, have announced commercial cooperation to become the first to bring production scale CO₂ curing systems for precast concrete and infrastructure product production ...
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|  Figure: Mera
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| | Mera designs monument on the Neuengamme concentration camp site |  | In May 2025, a new monument was unveiled on the Neuengamme concentration camp memorial site. This country memorial shows the home countries of the Neuengamme victims and was designed by Hamburg-based Mera landscape architects in collaboration with 2erpack Identity. Gödde-Beton from Wadersloh in North Rhine-Westphalia took care of implementing the project. The International Memorial in Neuengamme has been commemorating the victims of the concentration camp since 1965. The new country memorial complements ...
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|  Figure: Umdasch
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| | Modular 3D concrete printing solutions |  | With modular 3D concrete printing solutions, Umdasch Group enhances proven construction methods exactly where they create the most added value – for more efficiency, design freedom and sustainability in construction. Umdasch Group describes itself as the future partner along the entire life cycle of a building object - from ...
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| | Architectural freedom meets structural excellence with Peikko’s ideal combinations. Pair custom-made DELTABEAM® Composite Beams with ATLANT® Composite Columns and BESISTA® Rod Systems for optimal floor height, open spaces, and visual appeal. Engineered to meet high standards across Europe, these solutions enable sustainable, efficient, and safe buildings. Discover a smarter way to build with Peikko. More information
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|  Figure: ÖBB Darrer
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| | 50-year-old concrete masts recycled, with saving CO2 |  | Up to 1,200 catenary masts made of reinforced concrete with 30 % of recycled aggregates were used in the course of the modernization project of the Traisen Valley Railway. Consequently, every new mast contains more than a ton of recycled material. The processed material, now being reused, comes from old discarded concrete masts of ÖBB, the Austrian Railways, in the Wiener Neustadt region. The masts are produced at MABA ...
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|  Figure: Next-Beton
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| | Climate-friendly construction with concrete |  | Concrete is one of the most frequently used building materials and has a considerable share in global carbon emissions. Innovative materials such as the Earth Friendly Concrete provide environmentally friendly alternatives which are able to substantially reduce the carbon footprint due to the use of alternative raw materials. The topic of sustainability and carbon footprint and/or climate friendliness plays an ever more ...
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|  Figure: Sika Deutschland CH
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| | Polymer fibers for concrete reinforcement |  | Sika has micro and macro polymer fibers in its portfolio, from which manufacturers of concrete goods and precast elements, among others, can profit. With SikaFiber software, it is simple to determine the optimal combination of slab thickness, concrete quality and fiber content for the intended loading. Polymer fibers are multi-talents for ...
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|  Figure: Stefano Boeri/Giovanni Nardi
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| | Overhanging balcony planters made of precast elements |  | Following the example of his Milanese “Bosco Verticale” project involving two residential towers, renowned Italian architect Stefano Boeri designed a 70-meter-high vertical forest to live in situated in the Dutch city of Eindhoven. The overhanging balcony planters carrying the 125 trees are made of precast concrete. This article is an excerpt from the full project report published in our “Beton Bauteile 2025”...
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| Suggest your project involving precast concrete products for an exclusive report published in the BFT magazine, free of charge |  |
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| You have completed a construction project with precast concrete products successfully and now, you intend to present this project to your customer base, prospective customers and partners in the BFT trade magazine? Then, send us an email shortly describing the project. Or just call us. If the project is of particular interest to our readers, our editors would even like to pay you a visit for preparing an exclusive coverage for the BFT magazine in close coordination with you. Our service in this regard is free of charge.
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|  | Silvio Schade |  |
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| |  | Karla Knitter |  |
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