18 June 2026
NATURSEA-PV was represented at the 7th fib Congress, the flagship international event of the International Federation for Structural Concrete (fib), held from 15 to 19 June 2026 at Culturgest in Lisbon, Portugal. The congress, themed “Structural Concrete 2050: Towards Carbon Neutrality, AI Design, and Robotic Construction”, brought together researchers, engineers and industry professionals from approximately 100 countries to discuss the latest scientific and technological advances in structural concrete.
Youssef Sleiman, researcher at the I2M Laboratory (UMR 5295), Université de Bordeaux, delivered a presentation entitled “Durability Assessment of Geopolymer Ultra-High-Performance Concrete for Marine Infrastructure”, sharing the latest findings from the project’s research on low-carbon concrete formulations for offshore applications.
The presentation focused on the durability performance of geopolymer-based ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC), a key material being developed within NATURSEA-PV as a sustainable alternative to Portland cement-based systems. Geopolymer binders, which replace conventional clinker with industrial by-products such as ground granulated blast furnace slag and silica fume, offer a significantly lower carbon footprint while maintaining the mechanical and durability properties required for harsh marine environments.
Understanding the long-term behaviour of these materials under marine exposure conditions is critical for the design of the project’s bio-inspired floating substructures for offshore photovoltaics. The work presented at the fib Congress contributes directly to this objective, providing new experimental evidence on how geopolymer UHPC performs over time when exposed to the chemical and mechanical stresses typical of offshore installations.
The presence of NATURSEA-PV at the 7th fib Congress reinforces the project’s commitment to advancing the scientific knowledge base on sustainable concrete for marine renewable energy applications.
