Disrupting the building materials market with a sustainable alternative to concrete
Hamed Panahiazar and his brother, Dr Sadegh Panahiazar, are the founders of SlateRete, which is taking unwanted slate waste and repurposing it to produce a
sustainable
, cost-effective alternative to concrete.
Hamed is a civil engineer with a decade's experience of major engineering projects behind him. Sadegh is an architect with international experience and a particular interest in sustainability. They set up SlateRete late last year and are based at
UCD's
Nova innovation campus.
Subject to raising a fixed pre-seed round of €850,000, the product will go on sale in 2026.
'The idea for SlateRete originated during my master's in structural engineering at UCD where the goal was to create an alternative to concrete using unconventional, waste-based materials that would cost less than concrete and be without the environmental drawbacks of cement-based products,' says Hamed.
READ MORE
'I specifically focused on slate waste because it is widely available and disposing of it can be a headache for producers. As of now, it's mainly used for things like roof tiles and road foundations.
'By the end of my master's, it was clear that a well-engineered slate-waste mix was cost-effective and could meet building industry standards and reduce environmental impact.'
The brothers knew from experience that the
construction
sector could be slow to accept new materials. Basically, they know what works and don't want to take a chance by deviating. Hamed says: 'The challenge from an engineering perspective was to come up with a formula that would produce a quality result while meeting all existing structural benchmarks.
'Initially, we are focusing on a wide range of non-structural applications, but the SlateRete product has the potential to be used in structural, load-bearing applications as well. As we demonstrate the product's performance, we intend to pursue the necessary testing and certifications to enable its use in structural contexts.'
The brothers worked closely with the schools of engineering and architecture at UCD to develop their product, which has been formulated to meet not only cost and sustainability challenges but also aesthetics.
We are very committed to the environmental and sustainability aspects of our product
—
Hamed Panahiazar
'Our product offers a luxurious stone-like finish and its naturally vibrant colour range is achieved without chemical additives. It is also durable, unlike standard concrete which fades over time' Hamed says. 'Its versatility means it can be used in applications from facades and paving to flooring, furniture and interior design.
'At the moment, design teams have very limited options when it comes to aesthetically pleasing materials. Our product can be produced as a brick, a tile, a countertop – whatever form is required.'
SlateRete's route to market will be via licensing agreements with existing building product manufacturers who will pay an annual fee to use its technology.
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'What we don't want is for someone to buy out our technology and then not to use it,' says Hamed. 'We are very committed to the environmental and sustainability aspects of our product and want to see it adopted by the industry worldwide. We will be targeting construction firms and precast manufacturers as well as forming strategic alliances with green building consultants and pursuing B2B partnerships and Government procurement.'
As Hamed did the product groundwork while completing his master's, costs to date have been minimal. However, the company now needs investment to complete testing, produce pilot batches and start building out the team which will eventually comprise engineers, scientists and manufacturing, sales and business development professionals.
'Basically, we are ready to go. The formulations are complete, but we want to finish out some additional tests such as a long-term test in a harsh environment,' Hamed says.
Once the initial product is launched, he says the company will turn its attention to others. For now, the focus is on getting the product into the hands of those involved in large-scale building projects, not only in Europe but also in the Middle East where he says sustainable construction is centre stage.
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