With over 200 years of experience in brick production and an innovative research and development team, wienerberger is one of the leading manufacturers of clay building materials in Europe. The organisation plans to decarbonise its business model while minimising risks in the supply chain. In doing so, it is focusing on innovation and circular principles.

wienerberger commissioned Arup to provide strategy and innovation consulting to develop new business areas for recyclable façade systems. The project considered current and future regulatory requirements as well as upcoming technological and social innovation trends. The most promising business model proved to be the reuse of facing bricks, complemented by a business ecosystem that ensures dismantlability and scalability.

In order to achieve climate neutrality, a comprehensive transformation of the economy and companies is absolutely essential. However, the increasing resource scarcity and the growing instability of global value chains also require a rethink, with current political conflicts highlighting supply constraints and the resulting bottlenecks.

Delivering an innovative and sustainable programme

wienerberger pursues a transformative approach and aims to lead the clay building materials industry in the transition to a circular economy through strategic product and service innovations.

We were commissioned by wienerberger to develop and deliver an innovation consultancy programme focused on circular façade systems. Our holistic approach considered materials, technology, services, competencies, logistics, partner ecosystem, data and digitalisation. The strategy process included co-creation workshops, expert interviews, desktop research, design thinking as well as qualitative and quantitative analyses. These methods helped us to identify target groups, collaborations and funding opportunities while aligning with EU regulations.

Arup's holistic approach to innovation consulting has helped us to successfully develop suitable short-term and long-term growth potential in our product and service portfolio.

Jan Wieseler

Head of Sales and Product Management Poroton & Kamtec, wienerberger

Representatives from all relevant wienerberger divisions were involved in the process. Together with Arup, management and executives from the Innovation, Production and Marketing & Sales departments defined the selection and prototyping of new business models and the transfer of the prioritised business opportunities into a credible project portfolio.

We supported the development of this project portfolio with reliable business case calculations, technology radars, stakeholder analyses, the examination of legal and regulatory requirements as well as the identification of competences to be built up internally and an external partner network. Finally, we developed a roadmap for the market launch together with the wienerberger team.

A pioneering CO2-neutral building product

Our innovation consulting programme has led to the development of a comprehensive offer for real estate holders that enables tailor-made solutions for creating net-zero façades. The CO2-neutral re-use brick Terca ReviBrick® is part of this offering and has been awarded the German Sustainability Prize 2025. As a reused product, it does not create a new CO2 footprint and saves 27.7 kg of CO2 per square metre.

The re-use tile is already in high demand. Among other things, it is being used in the new bus depot for electric buses in Stuttgart-Gaisburg. The new product was even able to prevail over an alternatively planned timber construction,, as it has no impact on the life cycle assessment. The bus depot is currently being realised and is expected to be completed in 2026.

Visualisation of the new bus depot in Stuttgart-Gaisburg with the Co2-neutral re-use brick. © schlaich bergermann partner

The CO2-neutral Terca re-use brick shall be used in the new bus depot for electric buses in Stuttgart-Gaisburg. © schlaich bergermann partner