For years, conversations about decarbonisation and automation in construction have focused mainly on residential projects – houses, schools, and low-cost housing solutions. Low-carbon infrastructure is emerging as a crucial pathway to cutting emissions at scale. 

This shift matters because infrastructure from energy networks and water systems, to roads and utilities represents one of the largest sources of embodied carbon in the built environment. Traditional construction methods depend on carbon-intensive materials, heavy labour, and long delivery times, making it difficult for asset owners to meet climate commitments. 

By enabling faster project delivery, reduced material waste, lower costs, and unprecedented design freedom, additive manufacturing is emerging as a practical solution to some of the most pressing challenges in urban development. From climate emergency and sustainable materials to the efficiency demands of rapidly growing populations, low carbon infrastructure could become a cornerstone of the future city.

Governments, engineers, and utilities are already deploying these solutions on real projects. In this article, we highlight three pioneering examples of low carbon infrastructure, powered by automation and smart design and explore its potential to form the future ecosystem we will be living in. 

What is low carbon infrastructure?

Low-carbon infrastructure refers to structures designed, engineered, and delivered to minimise embodied emissions. This can be achieved by:

• Smart design that eliminates over-engineering and reduces unnecessary volume of material
• Low-carbon concrete and optimised reinforcement, lowering emissions from cement and steel
• Prefabrication and Modern Method of Construction (MMC) to cut waste, minimise transport, and reduce on-site construction activities
• Reduced excavation and soil disturbance, lowering emissions from earthworks
• Long-lasting, durable structures that avoid carbon-intensive maintenance or early replacement

Unlike traditional precast components, which are often over-engineered and require steel formwork, low carbon infrastructure using additive manufacturing uses only the exact amount of material needed, eliminating unnecessary waste and reducing environmental impact. This precision allows engineers to design innovative structures that would be difficult or impossible to achieve with conventional construction methods.

For example, Hyperion’s robotic 3D printing system is specifically engineered for infrastructure-grade concrete, combining high performance, regulatory compliance, and sustainability. 

Three pioneering examples of low-carbon infrastructure

1. Foundations for electrical towers substation

Hyperion Robotics has partnered with National Grid in a UK-first trial to manufacture, install and test low-carbon 3D-printed substation foundations. The 3D printed foundations’ optimised design uses 70% less material, resulting in 80% less soil displacement and reduced weight for easier transportation. Throughout the lifecycle from design to installation, 65% less CO2 is produced.

Despite using fewer materials, Hyperion Robotics’ foundations have been proven four times stronger than traditional methods. Previous on-site structural tests of printed specimens have demonstrated significantly higher resistance compared to conventional foundations, ensuring enhanced durability and long-term reliability. Hyperion Robotics’ approach to Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) reduces site operative hours by 50%, streamlining production and minimising the risks associated with manual labour.

What makes this project groundbreaking: The UK needs a five-fold expansion of its electricity transmission infrastructure by 2035 to meet rising demand from renewables, data centers, and electrification. As part of the Great Grid Upgrade, supported by Ofgem’s £24 billion investment, over 4,400 km of overhead lines will be upgraded and 35,000 km of new circuits added, enabling up to 126 GW of clean power by 2030.

Using 3D printing for tower components can reduce emissions, minimise waste, and accelerate construction, making grid expansion faster and more sustainable.

2. Pipe support foundations for Strongford Net Zero Hub

Severn Trent Water partnered with Hyperion Robotics to design and manufacture 32 pipe support foundations, demonstrating how advanced 3D printing, material science, and Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) can transform infrastructure.

Hyperion Robotics reimagined the conventional box-shaped foundation with an optimised ribbed design engineered to Eurocode 7 standards. The hybrid structure combined 3D-printed concrete faces with a reinforced concrete core, ensuring durability and full compliance with EN1990 and EN1992 while using significantly less material.

The project achieved 50% less material usage, saving 3 cubic metres of concrete, with an optimised design that maintained full structural integrity. Cost savings reached 60% compared with traditional methods, driven by faster production, reduced installation time, material efficiency, and Hyperion Robotics’ state-of-the-art offsite automated production.

Completed in just 16 days (vs. 49 days using conventional methods), on-site work was reduced by 67%, with minimal manpower required. Foundations were installed safely and efficiently using a single 8-tonne excavator, highlighting the speed, simplicity, and safety of this innovative approach.

What makes this project groundbreaking: The Strongford Net Zero Hub set a new benchmark as the world’s first net-zero wastewater treatment facility. It is groundbreaking because it proves that critical infrastructure can operate at net zero while reliably meeting the needs of modern communities.

By deploying innovative technologies such as 3D printing to reduce, remove, and offset process emissions, the hub not only delivers immediate environmental benefits but also provides a scalable blueprint for the future of wastewater treatment operations.

3. Low-carbon foundations for Iberdrola energy plant

Iberdrola partnered with Hyperion Robotics and Peikko to design and manufacture an optimised low-carbon foundation, demonstrating how advanced automation, material efficiency, and new construction methodologies can transform energy infrastructure.

Hyperion Robotics reimagined the traditional concrete pad foundation with a fully optimised geometry engineered to withstand the structural loads of a 132 kV circuit breaker. The team developed a design-by-testing approach, combining 3D-printed concrete with precision engineering to validate strength, durability, and performance.

The project achieved 75% less material usage compared with a conventional foundation, delivering major reductions in eCO₂ while maintaining full structural integrity. After printing at Hyperion’s facility in Helsinki, the foundation was tested at Peikko’s site in Lahti, where horizontal and vertical loading tests confirmed that the element could withstand three times its design load despite using only a quarter of the material typically required.

What makes this project groundbreaking: In 2021, this low-carbon foundation became the first of its kind on the market, proving that essential energy-sector infrastructure can be manufactured with dramatically lower material consumption and environmental impact. Since this pilot project, the foundation system has continued to evolve, achieving even more advanced optimisation and performance, as demonstrated in the subsequent National Grid project.

Common questions about low-carbon infrastructure

1. Is low carbon infrastructure safe and reliable?

Yes. Properly engineered 3D printed structures are reinforced with steel or fiber additives, making them strong and resilient. In fact, Hyperion Robotics’ low-carbon foundations are up to 10 times stronger than traditional concrete. All of our foundations, chambers and drawpits have a 100 year design life for multiple classes, and are built with the flexibility to accommodate future alterations or maintenance.

2. Can low-carbon infrastructure be customised?

Yes, thanks to Modern Method of Construction like 3D printing. One of the greatest advantages of 3D-printed construction technology is the ability to deliver customised, site-specific designs. This design freedom offers optimisation, increased efficiency and reduced material waste for structures in wastewater treatment, energy, and utility projects.

3. Can low-carbon infrastructure be integrated into traditional construction workflows?

Yes. Prefabricated low-carbon structures can be designed using a Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) approach, ensuring seamless compatibility with both conventional and modern site assembly practices.

4. Is low-carbon infrastructure code-compliant?

Yes. At Hyperion Robotics, all of our low-carbon structures comply with building regulations and codes (Eurocode EN 1990, EN 1992, etc.). Moreover, all our products and materials go through a rigorous testing regime to demonstrate durability and resistance. Learn more about our code compliant low-carbon structures here.

What’s next for low-carbon infrastructure?

The future of low-carbon infrastructure is full of opportunities to transform construction, utilities, and civil engineering. From wastewater treatment facilities and substations, to renewable energy platforms and transport networks,  additive manufacturing can help deliver faster, safer, and more sustainable solutions to the current construction challenges in these sectors.

We’re already exploring applications with leading contractors, asset owners, and government agencies. If you’re interested in partnering with us on pilot projects or scaling rollout across your network, let’s talk.

Contact us to explore what kind of low-carbon infrastructure can work for your projects.