Phuong Ngo Pitkänen
08 Oct 2025
The race to decarbonise infrastructure has reached new heights, but the biggest opportunity lies underground.
The global drive to reach net zero is reshaping the construction industry. Energy networks are expanding, renewable projects are accelerating, and governments are demanding measurable progress on sustainability. Yet while much attention is focused on greener power generation and cleaner materials, one area remains largely invisible – literally.
The foundations beneath our infrastructure are among the most carbon-intensive and least-innovated parts of construction. At Hyperion Robotics, we believe that to truly transform the built environment, we must start by cutting carbon from the ground up.
The carbon blind spot beneath our feet
Concrete is the world’s most used construction material – second only to water – and accounts for around 8% of global CO₂ emissions. A large proportion of that impact comes from cement production, which releases carbon both through energy use and the chemical process of calcination.
While the industry has made progress in reducing emissions through supplementary materials and alternative binders, most innovation has focused on the visible parts of our structures: superstructures, facades, and finishes. Meanwhile, the substructures – the foundations, footings, and plinths – continue to rely on traditional, high-carbon concrete methods.
These elements may represent a small share of total project cost, but they can account for over half of the embodied carbon in a construction site. Every kilometre of buried cable route, every substation, and every wind or solar installation rests on tonnes of concrete that often go unnoticed, but not unaccounted for in the climate challenge.
This is the carbon blind spot of the infrastructure industry. And it’s where the biggest potential for change lies.
Why foundations matter in the race to net zero
Infrastructure owners are under increasing pressure to decarbonise at pace while keeping projects on time and budget. The challenge? Traditional concrete practices are slow to adapt, and the supply chains that feed them are energy-intensive, resource-heavy, and difficult to decouple from carbon.
By addressing the foundation stage, project teams can achieve immediate, measurable carbon savings without disrupting above-ground design or long-term performance.
Foundations are where every project begins, making them the logical place to start a systemic shift toward low-carbon construction. Once a foundation’s carbon footprint is reduced, every other stage of the build becomes cleaner by extension.
Learn more about Hyperion’s role in decarbonising infrastructure
across utilities, energy, and industrial sectors.
Engineering the change: smarter foundations for a sustainable future
At Hyperion Robotics, we’ve reimagined how foundations are designed, manufactured, and installed – combining robotic 3D printing, low-carbon concrete, and data-driven engineering to create a new standard in sustainable infrastructure delivery.
Our approach replaces the traditional “cast and cure” method with an automated system that produces precision-engineered foundation elements tailored to each project’s structural and geotechnical needs.
The benefits are significant
- Up to 70% reduction in CO₂ emissions compared to conventional methods
- 60% less material waste, thanks to optimised geometry and additive manufacturing
- Up to 50% cost savings through shorter installation times and reduced logistics
- Enhanced durability and performance, with proven compliance to structural codes
By optimising design and fabrication simultaneously, Hyperion eliminates unnecessary bulk while maintaining, and often improving, load-bearing capacity. Each foundation is engineered for strength, resilience, and sustainability.
For an overview of our latest technology and process, see our 3D printing for infrastructure page.
Invisible, yet transformative
Foundations are rarely seen, but they carry enormous influence over a project’s environmental footprint. By transforming this unseen layer of infrastructure, we can make meaningful progress toward industry-wide decarbonisation.
Consider a typical renewable energy site. Thousands of support bases and cable route foundations are poured in concrete, each contributing to embodied carbon. By applying Hyperion’s technology across a single project, hundreds of tonnes of CO₂ can be eliminated without changing the design intent or operational outcomes.
That’s not just a sustainability win; it’s a commercial advantage. Faster fabrication, fewer materials, and simplified logistics translate to shorter construction programmes and lower costs – benefits that compound across multiple assets and project phases.
For infrastructure owners managing tight timelines and net-zero targets, these efficiencies make a tangible difference. Read more about how we deliver results in our case studies.
From proof to performance: building confidence through data
Innovation in construction often faces scepticism. That’s why Hyperion’s approach is grounded in engineering evidence and compliance assurance.
Our low-carbon concrete formulations are tested against established structural codes and standards, ensuring safety and long-term performance. Every printed foundation is verified through digital design models and performance data, offering traceable, transparent assurance that sustainability doesn’t come at the cost of reliability.
We work with partners across energy, utilities, and transport to integrate our technology into real-world applications – from pilot installations to full-scale deployments – generating the data and trust needed for adoption at scale.
Explore our ongoing work with National Grid to see this approach in action.
A foundation for the future
The path to net zero requires more than incremental improvement; it demands a rethink of how we build from the ground up.
By starting with foundations, we can achieve faster, smarter, and more sustainable progress across every type of infrastructure – from renewable energy sites to data centres, power networks, and beyond.
The invisible parts of construction are now becoming the most impactful. And that’s exactly where Hyperion Robotics is focused: building what you can’t see, for the future you will.
