How Holcim is expanding in high-value Building Solutions

By acquiring Xella, a European leader in sustainable and innovative walling systems, Holcim is expanding its portfolio with premium brands for the new build and energy-efficient repair and refurbishment markets.

We’re also taking a major step towards achieving our 2030 target: a 50/50 net sales split between Building Materials – comprising low-carbon cement and circular aggregates, where we continue to deliver profitable growth through sustainability initiatives and innovation – and Building Solutions.

Holcim: the leading partner for sustainable construction
 

As the world’s population grows and moves to cities, the equivalent of Madrid is being built every week. There is rising demand for infrastructure, industry and buildings that are sustainable, circular, energy-efficient, resilient and smart.

Our customers want solutions to achieve sustainability standards like LEED, WELL and BREEAM, reduce use of primary raw materials through circular building, lower heating and cooling costs with energy-efficient refurbishment. 

They also want to increase the resilience of buildings as our climate changes, and optimize cities with smart building technologies powered by artificial intelligence and digital.

With our advanced portfolio, Holcim is best placed to meet this demand.

We are rapidly scaling our position as the leading end-to-end provider of advanced, high-value building solutions – from foundation and flooring to walling and roofing, delivering the industry's most comprehensive offering for the residential market.

Now we’ve added leading walling brands Ytong, Hebel, Silka and Multipor to our portfolio, as well as the integrated digital planning service blue.sprint.

MEET XELLA’S BRANDS
 

• Ytong and Hebel autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) modular blocks and panels support sustainable building – helping projects achieve advanced certifications including LEED, BREAM and WELL. They provide material efficiency and high thermal performance, Designed for reuse or recycling they promote circular building. 
• Multipor mineral insulation panels and Ytong AAC blocks offer high thermal performance for energy efficient building – to reduce heating and cooling costs and ensure more comfortable spaces. 
• Silka: calcium silicate building units (CSUs) combine excellent sound insulation with high load-bearing capacity for resilient building, alongside Ytong and Hebel steel-reinforced panels, and Multipor insulation boards.
• blue.sprint is a comprehensive digital service that links 3D building models using AI and Building Information Modelling (BIM) directly to digitally managed factory production, ensuring just-in-time onsite delivery and smart building.

This premium, branded portfolio comes together in iconic projects like Belgrade Waterfront in Serbia, which showcases how Holcim can add value with its integrated systems for the whole building envelope that are sustainable, circular, energy-efficient, resilient and smart.

Within this 1.26 million m² “city within a city”, the BW Sole, Scala and Libera residential buildings use ECOPact low-carbon concrete for their foundations and flooring, and Ytong and Silka for walling. 

The Kula Belgrade tower has Ytong and Silka walling, while ZinCo green roofing brings nature and biodiversity into Serbia’s capital. The brand's roofing systems also bring year-round insulation - keeping buildings cool in summer and warm in winter.

Smart building with AI and digital
 

Advancing digital automation and smart design is vital for building NextGen cities of the future. Holcim is increasingly using sophisticated digital tools and Building Information Modeling (BIM) combined with technologies from 3D printing to modular construction to plan and build more sustainable, optimized structures and buildings.

By acquiring Xella, Holcim is strengthening our capabilities in this key area. Xella’s brands are underpinned by cutting-edge services including blue.sprint – which links 3D building models using AI and BIM directly to digitally managed factory production, ensuring just-in-time onsite delivery and smart building.

Strengthening specification selling
 

Finally, specification selling is central to Holcim’s building solutions offer. By engaging with the value chain – public authorities and urban planners, developers and architects, engineers and contractors – early in project lifecycles, we provide added value by matching our solutions to exact project specifications and offering high-value building systems.

The acquisition of Xella enhances Holcim’s specification selling capabilities in modern sustainable construction – from circularity and energy-efficient refurbishment to smart design and modular building.

As our CEO Miljan puts it: “Xella will give us a growth platform in the highly attractive walling market worth more than EUR 12 billion, with cross-selling and systems-selling opportunities. I look forward to welcoming Xella’s over 4 000 employees to the Holcim family.”