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‘Reallabor’ researches sustainable building in Vienna

23 April 2025

Different ecological building materials are visibly tested on the studio walls.
From left to right: Erwin Größ (Managing Director of STRABAG Real Estate Austria), Leopold Leonhartsberger (Head of the Building Materials Division), Winona Reddig (Project Manager of the Real Estate Laboratory for Sustainable Building) and Stefan Kratochwill (STRABAG CEO) at the opening.
Project manager Winona Reddig guides visitors through the exhibition.
Art as part of the utilisation concept.

Innovative concept for interim utilisation focuses on research, practical relevance and networking
Use of hemp, sheep's wool and 12 other alternative building material products on 1,200 square metres
Laboratory ‘Reallabor’ investigates the potential and possible uses of various sustainable building materials

STRABAG is celebrating the opening of a laboratory for sustainable construction on the site of what was once the largest barrel factory in Central Europe. A research space for alternative building materials is being created on an area of around 1,200 m2, which will also be a workshop for artists from the STRABAG Art Forum and an exhibition space for alternative building products. The Reallabor - Sustainable Building is part of the ‘Reallabor Fassfabrik’ neighbourhood currently being developed by STRABAG Real Estate.

In collaboration with STRABAG and artists and cultural practitioners, we have decided on an innovative interim use of the Fassfabrik site. We are frontrunners when it comes to rethinking construction processes and materials, and the laboratory is also intended to promote the practical acquisition of knowledge and experience in strategically important areas beyond the boundaries of our company.

Erwin Größ
Managing Director of STRABAG Real Estate Austria

‘Reallabor’ – a concept for the future

For two years, the concept of the ‘Reallabor’ tests sustainable building materials under real-life conditions and links research with art and culture. The artists' studio walls are simultaneously room dividers, research objects and sources of materials. A particular focus of the drywalls is on the ecological waste product straw. Highly compressed straw fibre boards can bind 53 kg of CO2e per square metre of wall surface. In the real laboratory, these are used in combination with clay as a substitute for plasterboard. Insulating materials such as hemp, flax and sheep's wool are also used on the surface. The trial aims to test different installation options and their performance to determine the product and process that can be economically and efficiently integrated into existing construction processes. Materials that are left over during installation and would otherwise be disposed of as waste are recycled directly on site by artists.

The Reallabor currently offers space for five artists' workshops as well as for the exhibition of 14 building material products, including semi- and fully prefabricated parts made of wood or CO2-reduced concrete, which enable ecological and efficient construction methods. In future, the site will also be used as an event location.

On the one hand, the Reallabor - Sustainable Building provides important insights into the possible uses and future potential of sustainable building materials. On the other hand, as an exchange and exhibition centre, it ensures greater visibility and acceptance of alternative materials. This innovative and interdisciplinary approach makes an important contribution to STRABAG's goal that all building materials used should be climate-neutral by 2040.

Leopold Leonhartsberger
Head of the Building Materials Division at STRABAG SE

Art stimulates a lively exchange. The symbiosis between the sustainable building materials used here and the work of the artists will be all the more exciting in the’Reallabor’. As STRABAG Kunstforum, we immediately realised that we wanted to enable artists to work in this stimulating and collaborative atmosphere.

Sebastian Haselsteiner
Head of STRABAG Kunstforum

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Press kit as ZIP Download

Isabella Nutz
Press spokeswoman, Austria

+43 1 22422 1617

pr@strabag.com

Where the largest barrel factory in Central Europe once stood, the future will be actively shaped over the next two years. In Lastenstraße in the 23rd district, an innovative interim utilisation concept has gained momentum with the ‘Reallabor Fassfabrik’, which enables practical knowledge and experience to be gained in the field of sustainability and innovation. A collaboration between property owner STRABAG Real Estate and its parent company STRABAG, scientific institutions and artists and cultural practitioners opens up completely new opportunities for practical research.

More information: www.fassfabrik.at/

STRABAG Real Estate (SRE) has been planning, constructing, letting, and selling properties for around 60 years and has also been a service provider if required. Our concepts are geared towards the needs of the people who work, live, stay, or shop in our buildings. Proximity to our customers is important to us. That is why regional teams look after our customers at 18 locations in eight European countries. With more than 650 projects and around 240 employees, we are one of the largest property developers in Europe.

More information: www.strabag-real-estate.com

STRABAG SE is a European-based technology group for construction services, a leader in innovation and financial strength. Our activities span all areas of the construction industry and cover the entire construction value chain. We create added value for our clients by taking an end-to-end view of construction over the entire life cycle – from planning and design to construction, operation and facility management to redevelopment or demolition. In all of our work, we accept responsibility for people and the environment: We are shaping the future of construction and are making significant investments in our portfolio of more than 250 innovation and 400 sustainability projects. Through the hard work and dedication of our approximately 86,000 employees, we generate an annual output volume of around € 19 billion.
Our dense network of subsidiaries in various European countries and on other continents extends our area of operation far beyond the borders of Austria and Germany. Working together with strong partners, we are pursuing a clear goal: to design, build and operate construction projects in a way that protects the climate and conserves resources. More information is available at www.strabag.com.