The origin story of T&F is as unique as it is ambitious. "T&F was founded with the strong idea of becoming a leading research facility for Calcium Silicate Hydrate," says Torsten Schoch, CEO of Xella Technology and Research. Over the years, the center has significantly contributed to the global construction industry through product development, standardization, and advocacy.

Consolidating expertise

Starting out in 2003/2004, the vision was to create a unified research location that could harness collective expertise and foster synergy across diverse product lines. Back in the days there was expertise on AAC but scattered across Germany. “Although experts in the field of AAC were scarce, Ytong and Hebel had secured their specialists. This expertise was spread across Germany, mainly in southern Germany, but also near Berlin. Xella's decision to consolidate these efforts into a single, powerful entity maximized efficiency and drove innovation across all building material divisions,” recalls Torsten Schoch.
Franz Loderer, Head of Department Applied Research/Building Physics, was one of the scientists from the very beginning. To be part of this new foundation, he moved 500 kilometers from Bavaria to Emstal in Brandenburg: "That really was something unique. We had a fusion on the research level; scientists from all areas and products came together. Where there was competition before, we found collaboration."
Manfred Imme, Department Applied Research/Building Physics, who moved from Potsdam, reflects: "It was a true scientific union, initially marked by skepticism, that brought together a rich pool of knowledge and expertise. Some were only familiar with Hebel, while others only knew Ytong, it soon became clear that we could learn a lot from each other. And we did."

Milestones and achievements

The official opening of the T&F building in Emstal in August 2004 was a major milestone and sealed this new union. Under the leadership of Torsten Schoch, who took over in 2006, T&F established itself among Xella and internationally, driving product development, standardization, and industry advocacy.
"Then and now, we have focused on internationalization, scientific excellence, and knowledge transfer," says Torsten Schoch.
T&F has navigated the commitment to sustainability, striving to minimize the CO2 footprint of Xella’s products and finding ways to reuse AAC and CSU leftovers in new recipes. T&F has also pioneered the use of recycled demolition waste without loss of quality.
Breakthroughs such as proving the recarbonation process of their products, spearheaded by Dr. Hartmut Walther, have been further instrumental. This natural process, where cement and lime-based products absorb CO2 from the atmosphere during their lifespan, acts as a permanent carbon sink. This process, often neglected just five years ago, is now crucial in calculating CO2 emissions over a product's lifecycle, reducing it by up to 80 kg/m³. In 2022, the German and Italian issuers of Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) certificates accepted the finding that during its life cycle, AAC absorbs CO2. Since December 2023, recarbonation is also acknowledged in France in many new EPDs.

Product development & supporting our plants

As one of the few European companies in the building materials industry to operate its own technology and research facility, the whole Xella Group leverages this unique resource for both fundamental research and product development.
Next to this, T&F also plays a reliable role in the daily operations of Xella’s plants. "We are the in-house testing facility," Schoch explains. "We have introduced an internal approval procedure, where all changes made by the plants are reviewed and tested by T&F before implementation." Furthermore, to offer hands-on and individualized support, the Process Engineering Department is actively engaged in the Xella plants, assisting with the implementation of new products or recipe changes. “The team is constantly on the road to support our plants.”

On the road and looking ahead when it comes to the development of new products. “Our research process is fully integrated into the business, aligning with our strategy and the targets we've set," says Torsten Schoch. Thinking for a sustainable future, T&F is testing new products not only under current norms but also in anticipation of future scenarios, changing demands, including climate considerations across all our markets. One constant is that climate change significantly influences the need to create products that are robust—resistant to wind, fire, and earthquakes—yet affordable and energy-efficient. The development work particularly focuses on sustainable design, exploring ways to enhance product durability to exceed the standard timeframes, as well as advancing the development of new recipes for AAC blocks and panels to lower thermal conductivity while maintaining strength properties.
Additionally, T&F is actively advancing the recyclability of Xella products, in line with the Group's efforts to optimize its value chain by sourcing secondary materials from recycling companies. This includes the development of new products using crushed and milled AAC coarse material as well as lighter materials. The Group is committed to eliminating the disposal of any production leftovers in landfills, aiming to cease landfilling AAC or CSU leftovers entirely by 2030.

On decisive step along the way: in 2023, T&F conducted fundamental research revealing that – depending on the production site and product type – it is possible to replace up to 25% of raw materials with crushed and milled AAC in the majority of Xella’s German plants.

A hub for collaboration, knowledge transfer, and quality

T&F's influence extends far beyond Germany. The research center plays a pivotal role in the internationalization of research and standards, contributing to global scientific discussions and hosting national and international conferences and seminars. “We have guests from all over the world,” explains Ines Zielke, Communication at Xella T&F. “We pursue an open-door policy, welcoming not only the international Xella subsidiaries for trainings, including DEKRA certified Energy-advisor and Dekra certified expert for building damage assessment, on a regular basis but also showing our license partners what our products can do.”
Scientific excellence is crucial for T&F to establish itself and be taken seriously. To solidify this, T&F has undertaken the arduous path of international accreditation, particularly in the areas of quality management and the validity of the data they provide. Since 2011, Xella Technology and Research has been an accredited testing facility, responsible for quality monitoring, construction material testing, and compliance with the Construction Products Regulation for the European market.

With innovation being the main driver, not only have new products been developed, but there is also a commitment to thinking in entirely new ways, such as rethinking systems – together with external partners. One example is the Plus Energy House near Potsdam. The M1 Plus Energy House won the Energy House of the Year award in 2013, as a joint research project of several construction partners. Over the course of four years Xella T&F carried out research on autoclaved aerated concrete blocks in a Plus Energy House environment, with the aim of demonstrating that Plus Energy in solid construction is both possible and affordable. Throughout the research, indoor climate, heat flows and energy production and consumption were consistently measured.

Looking ahead

In the spirit of knowledge transfer, scientific excellence, and internationalization,T&F will host a symposium on October 17th in Potsdam, inviting long-time supporters of their journey. "It is important to us to thank everyone involved because research is never done alone," says Schoch.