Durabric – the secret behind the Droneport shell

Initiated by Lord Norman Foster, the LafargeHolcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction supported the construction of a prototype Droneport shell at the 15th International Architecture Biennale in Venice. The structure consists of 18,000 Durabrics made of compressed earth and cement and were optimized by the LafargeHolcim Research Centre in Lyon to meet the specific requirements of the project. The challenge was to ensure a compressive strength of at least 10 MPa of the building blocks, while minimizing the weight and size by comparison to the standard Durabric.

LafargeHolcim developed Durabric to build basic infrastructure and affordable housing in emerging parts of the world. Learn more about how the Droneport ​together with Durabrics can improve the quality of life and watch statements by architect Norman Foster, structural engineer John Ochsendorf, BRG project leader Hannes Hofmann as well as LafargeHolcim CEO Eric Olsen, and Carlos Espina, head of the LafargeHolcim Research Centre.