MRC-funded researchers at West Virginia University’s Constructed Facilities Center partnered with Omnis Building Technologies to explore whether recycled polyurethane mattress foam could be used as insulation in prefabricated concrete building panels. Researchers replaced the panels’ rigid foam core with sheets of compressed mattress foam. Testing showed that the recycled foam provided better insulation without reducing the panels’ strength. The team also evaluated different compression levels to determine which provided the best insulation performance. To further reduce the panels’ environmental impact, the project incorporated fly ash and geopolymer concrete, a lower-carbon alternative to conventional concrete. Next, the team plans to test different concrete mixes in full-scale panel production.