Soul of Concrete has won the fourth edition of the PropTech Innovation Challenge (PIC) of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) in Germany. The Dresden-based company uses its SOUL technology to develop a novel three-dimensional, fibre-wound reinforcement. This solution is designed to replace conventional steel reinforcement in concrete construction. The reinforcement is produced automatically as a ready-made module and installed in a single step.
The award-winning innovation addresses several key challenges in the construction sector, including high labour costs, low productivity, CO₂ emissions and the susceptibility of traditional steel reinforcements to corrosion. While the production of conventional steel reinforcement requires complex cutting, bending and assembly, SOUL enables the automated manufacturing of complete reinforcement modules. The technology is capable of processing various fibre materials such as carbon, basalt, aramid, glass or natural fibres. The company states that this can reduce the total costs of the finished component by up to 40 per cent, accelerate the installation time of the reinforcement by up to 20 times, and reduce the embodied CO₂ footprint by up to 80 per cent. Another advantage is the corrosion-free nature of the reinforcement.
Technological Progress for a Resilient Construction Industry
Ludwig Raps, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Soul of Concrete, emphasised that concrete reinforcement has seen little fundamental change for decades. SOUL's technology addresses precisely this point by transforming a labour-intensive manual process into an automatically manufacturable product. He expressed delight at the jury's recognition, which confirms the technology's contribution to a more resilient real estate and construction industry. The award is both an affirmation and an incentive to bring the technology into practical application and scalability together with partners.
The ULI organises the PropTech Innovation Challenge across Europe to showcase innovative and scalable solutions for the real estate industry and to foster exchange between established market players, start-ups and the technology world. The overarching theme of the initiative for 2026 is Resilience in the Real Estate Industry. Solutions were sought that make the built environment more resistant to economic, ecological and social stresses. The German expert jury was convinced by Soul of Concrete's approach, which industrialises a previously highly manual work step.
Sabine Georgi, Managing Director of ULI for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, highlighted that resilience in the real estate industry goes far beyond mere crisis response. It begins where structures, processes and technologies are modified to ensure that the built environment remains high-performing, affordable and adaptable in the long term. Ms Georgi congratulated Ludwig Raps and the entire Soul of Concrete team. The technology's initial focus is on precast concrete elements; in the future, its use is also planned for buildings, bridges and other infrastructure constructions.
Judging and Outlook
Submitted solutions were evaluated based on three criteria: potential impact, degree of innovation, and market launch potential and adoption probability. This year's challenge focused on implementable, scalable and competitive innovations that promote resilient business models and ensure the long-term viability and competitiveness of real estate. As the German winner, Soul of Concrete qualifies for the pan-European Grand Final in September. The overall European winner will be announced at the C Change Summit on 5 November 2026 in Dublin.
- —Julia Arlt, Entrepreneur and Founder, Global Digital Real Estate Leader, PwC
- —Prof. Dr. Christos Chantzaras, Professor of Entrepreneurship in Construction, Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences
- —Sabine Georgi, Managing Director, ULI Germany/Austria/Switzerland
- —Gregor Grassl, Associate Partner, Drees & Sommer
