UK: Graphene-enhanced concrete admixture developer Concretene has extended its partnership with the University of Manchester’s Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) to continue to use its facilities until mid-2028. The company says that this will enable it to scale production of its Concretene admixture. It has expanded its production and testing facility at the GEIC in readiness.

The addition of Concretene admixture raises compressive strength by up to 50% in ready-mix concrete and by 15 – 20% in precast concrete. It has been used in railway sleepers produced by Cemex UK.

Concretene commands €2.19m in UK government funding and €6.92m in venture capital investment.

Kyrgyzstan: China-based Hua Rui has begun to build an autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) block plant in Chui region. The project is scheduled for delivery by May 2030. When operational, the plant will serve the domestic market and also expand Kyrgyzstan's export potential. The Kyrgyz National Investment Agency has reported that the project commands funding from both Hua Rui and the government of Kyrgyzstan.

UK: Material Evolution has partnered with CRH subsidiary Tarmac to launch a pilot project to test applications of its heat-free, 85% reduced-CO₂ cement, MevoCem. The partners aim to demonstrate the suitability of MevoCem cement for use in concrete production in line with the prospective BSI Flex 350 performance-based standard.

Material Evolution’s CEO Liz Gilligan welcomed Tarmac as an ‘early adopter’ of MevoCem cement. In a post to LinkedIn, she said “We have been quietly building something game-changing with CRH and their team at Tarmac. It is bold, it is industrial scale and it is all about cutting carbon where it counts. We are only just getting started.”

Material Evolution currently operates a 120,000t/yr plant in Wrexham, Wales.

Qatar: UCC Holding, in partnership with Qatar's Public Works Authority, has commenced the printing of two schools with a combined built-up area of 40,000m², on 100 x 100m plots. Gulf Construction News has reported that Denmark-based COBOD supplied two customised BODXL printers for the tasks. UCC Holding says that each building is 20 times more massive than any existing 3D-printed building. Its dedicated 3D printing team has conducted more than 100 full-scale test prints using a BOD2 printer, and completed intensive training alongside COBOD engineers.

COBOD General Manager Henrik Lund-Nielsen noted the scale of UCC Holding’s custom selection of BODXL printer. "The world has never seen such a large 3D construction printer before, and it is more than four times bigger than the second biggest printer. On its own, this printer can produce a 1500m² footprint up to five floors."