New Nautilus Evo is a lightweighting system made of recycled plastic for cast-in-place reinforced concrete two-way flat slabs. The formwork remains embedded in the concrete pour and allows the creation of a continuous flat slab both above and below the element, generating a grid of orthogonal ribs that replaces traditional drop panels, integrating them within the slab thickness.
The reduction in the slab’s self-weight (up to 25–30% compared to solid slabs) allows significant savings in concrete and reinforcing steel, with benefits extending to columns, shear walls, and foundations. In addition, the lightweighting makes it possible to increase spans and load-bearing capacity without adding beams, improving the static and seismic performance of the entire structure.
The distinctive feature of Nuovo Nautilus Evo is the hollow central cone, which facilitates filling during concrete placement, improves concrete flow, and prevents the formation of air pockets, ensuring continuity and quality of the resistant section. The design allows visual inspection of the proper formation of the bottom slab, reduces the risk of formwork uplift, and ensures a uniform, defect-free soffit finish.
Lightweight, modular, and quick to install, the system offers high operational safety on site and maximum geometric adaptability, making it ideal for large-span or high-load slabs with optimized material use and reduced overall costs.
When calculating a plate made with NEW NAUTILUS EVO, the parameter defining its thickness and governing its sizing is the deformation, which is a function of the inertia of the concrete + steel section. By replacing part of the concrete with the empties of the NEW NAUTILUS EVO formworks, the inertia will tend to reduce, but the lightness compensates for this loss as the weight reduction is greater than the reduction in flexural inertia. In general, however, weight reduction and therefore consumption of concrete varies between 20 and 30%.
The overall reduction in load depends on the extent of permanent and variable loads, as well as from the lightening ratio of the plate to the full load. This reduction varies between 5 and 15%. On average, steel savings on floors are around 10%. This savings should be added to the reduction of seismic stresses, the reduction in foundation load and the lower stress of vertical structures under static load.
