R&D Activities and Digitalization Go to contents 27 Cutting carbon with hybrid unitized façades aluminium unitized façade. Importantly, there is no compromise in terms of performance. In fact, areas like thermal performance are actually improved, resulting in higher user comfort. Focuses for 2023 In 2023, we will focus on testing our hybrid unitized façade and making ongoing improvements. Its system performance will be tested at a registered body, and we will receive the results in early Q2 2023. This testing is important because increasingly unfavourable weather, resulting from climate change, means building façades are subject to higher requirements. This includes water and air tightness, load resistance, soft body impact, and acoustics. Testing also enables us to make continuous improvements to our hybrid unitized façade, and this capability will be enhanced by the completion of our in-house testing rig in 2023. We firmly believe that hybrid unitized façade systems are future oriented, since providing low carbon solutions in conjunction with long-term durability and well-being. In the EU, buildings are responsible for 40% of all energy consumption and 36% of greenhouse gas emissions. This means the façade industry has an important role to play in the reduction of CO2 emissions. Staticus is working continuously on reducing the carbon emissions of façade systems, most notably through the development of a next generation of hybrid unitized façades. In this project, our R&D team is using its decades’ of expertise to replace high embodied carbon materials in façades with low-carbon alternatives such as timber. Key achievements in 2022 In 2022, we finished the design development process of our hybrid unitized façade system. In this façade system, structural mullions and transoms are replaced with GLULAM wood. Recycled aluminium is used in the frame. At the product stage (A1-A3), this saves 1.3 kg of carbon for every 1 kg of GLULAM timber used. Furthermore, embodied carbon is cut from 8 kg to 2.3 kg for every 1 kg of recycled aluminium used. In total, embodied CO2 is reduced by up to 75% when compared to a standard Hybrid Unitized Façade / Interior