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roofing, cladding, insulation & structural systems
factory-scale trials point to lower carbon concrete roof tiles
Kieran Fields discusses FP McCann’s latest research on graphene roof tiles...
Concrete roof tiles are widely used across the housing sector because they combine durability, weather resistance and established installation practice. As the construction industry works to reduce embodied carbon, attention is increasingly turning to the materials and manufacturing processes behind everyday building products. Recent factory-scale trials of graphene-enhanced concrete roof tiles suggest that lower-carbon alternatives may be achievable without wholesale changes to existing production processes and infrastructure. This direction of travel
aligns closely with the UK Government’s ambition to significantly accelerate housebuilding, targeting up to 1.5 million new homes during the current parliament, thereby increasing the importance of scalable, low-carbon material innovations within mainstream construction. The project forms part of a wider
programme of innovation within UK precast manufacturing, in which the country’s largest precast concrete producer is using its Northern Ireland headquarters and major R&D facility to investigate lower- carbon materials, digital manufacturing,
and new production techniques. Current work includes reducing carbon in concrete products, deploying AI and robotics in manufacturing, and exploring 3D printing for concrete products where appropriate. Against that backdrop, the roof tile trials provide a practical example of how research can be validated in established, high-volume production settings. The programme has focused on the use of graphene-enhanced cement in the manufacture of concrete roof tiles. Rather than developing a niche product in isolation, the work set out to test whether
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