Contribution of Fiber-Reinforced Concrete to the Sustainable Development Goals

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26754/ojs_zarch/zarch.20252511253

Keywords:

Precast concrete, Construction, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Vulnerability, Fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC), Industrialization

Abstract

The development of fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) structural precast elements for use in architecture is an innovative line of research that aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda. This article explores the link between their characteristics and the SDG targets related to construction. Given the importance of the production and consumption of concrete, which is universally affordable and available yet characterized by a high carbon footprint, proposals to reduce CO2 emissions in the production and use of this material could have a highly positive environmental impact. FRC can be adapted to different levels of technology, climatic conditions and budgets: this enables innovation to be transferred to countries with high social vulnerability, a key priority of the 2030 Agenda. Reducing dependence on steel in countries where it is not produced enables small manufacturers to build efficient structures using nearby resources.

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Author Biographies

  • María Antonia Quesada Blasco, Catholic University of Murcia

    (Madrid, 1959) Graduate in Chemistry, specialising in Analytical Chemistry, from the Autonomous University of Madrid (1981). Dedicated to other professional fields, in 2021 she completed a Master's degree in Bioethics at the Catholic University of Murcia (UCAM), focusing her research on Social Bioethics. She is currently a PhD student in the Health Sciences Programme at UCAM (Campus de Los Jerónimos nº135, Guadalupe 30107, Murcia, Spain) and is working on her doctoral thesis on Vulnerability and Agenda 2030. 

  • Victoria Gimeno Xipell, University of Granada

    (Barcelona 1988) Architect from the University of Girona (2014). Member of the RNM909 ‘Efficient housing and urban recycling’ research group. After working as an architect in Barcelona and Granada, she is currently pursuing her PhD at the Doctoral School of Science, Technology and Engineering of the University of Granada. Her research focuses on the geometrical optimisation of fibre-reinforced, precast structural concrete elements in architecture.

  • Elisa Valero Ramos, University of Granada

    (Ciudad Real, 1971) Architect form the University of Valladolid (1996), and doctor architect from the University of Granada (2000). Full Professor of Architectural Design at the University of Granada since 2012. Director of the RNM909 research group, which develops low-cost, low-energy building systems. Her built work has won awards in Italy, France, Switzerland and Spain and has been widely published in books and magazines. Visiting professor at more than twenty-five schools in Europe and America and author of a dozen books, including ‘The Diamond Theory and the Architectural Project’ and ‘Light in Architecture, the Intangible Material’. Convinced of the urgent need to respect nature, she explores new paths for architecture that have earned her the Swiss Architectural Award in 2018 and the Andalusia Architecture Prize in the innovation and construction category in 2022.

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Published

2025-12-23

Issue

No. 25 (2025): Regenerative Urbanism

Section

Miscellany

License

Copyright (c) 2025 María Antonia Quesada Blasco, Victoria Gimeno Xipell, Elisa Valero Ramos

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Quesada Blasco, M. A., Gimeno Xipell, V., & Valero Ramos, E. (2025). Contribution of Fiber-Reinforced Concrete to the Sustainable Development Goals. ZARCH. Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Architecture and Urbanism, 25, 242-253. https://doi.org/10.26754/ojs_zarch/zarch.20252511253

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