The much awaited and anticipated revolution in construction is gaining momentum, now have drones, virtual reality, augmented reality, BIM, project management and more.
But it doesn’t stop here! Researchers and various institutes are taking technology to the next level.
Development in concrete and other building materials has been aggressive and intense.
Cooling System in Bricks
Through the combination of clay and hydrogel, students at the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia have created a new material that has a cooling effect on building interiors.
Its cooling effect comes from the presence of hydrogel in its structure which absorbs water up to 500 times its weight.
The absorbed water is released to reduce the temperature during hot days.
Transparent Wood
A group of researchers from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm has developed Optically Transparent Wood (TW), a new material that could greatly impact the way we develop our architectural projects.
Published in the American Chemical Society’s journal Biomacromolecules, the transparent timber is created through a process that removes the chemical lignin from a wood veneer, causing it to become very white.
This white porous veneer is then impregnated with a transparent polymer, matching the optical properties of the individual cells and making the whole material translucent.
Pollution Absorbing Bricks
The Breathe Brick sucks in pollutants in the air and releases filtered air.
The innovative material is designed to be part of a building’s standard ventilation system.
It has a two-layer facade system, with the specialist bricks on the outside and standard insulation on the inside.
Cigarette Butts to Make Bricks
The impact on the environment is tremendous.
Elements such as arsenic, chromium, nickel and cadmium enter the soil and harm nature.
In order to reduce the impact of cigarette butts on the environment, researchers at RMIT developed lighter and more energy efficient bricks made of cigarette butts.
In short, innovatively utilizing waste in a much more eco-friendly manner.
Biologically Produced Furniture
Another very beautiful innovation in the construction industry is the invention of bio-plastic furniture.
So far there are two pieces of furniture created through this material – a chaise lounge and a small chair for kids.
Martian Concrete
It’s finally done. We have concrete that can be used to build structures in Mars now.
The researching team at Northwestern University has created concrete that can be made with materials available on Mars.
Light Generating Cement
Dr Jose Carlos Rubio Avalos from UMSNH of Morelia has created a cement that has the ability to absorb and irradiate light. With this new light generating cement the potential uses and application of it can be huge.
The CABKOMA Strand Rod
The Komatsu Seiren Fabric Laboratory, based in Japan has created a new material called the CABKOMA Strand Rod.
It is a thermoplastic carbon fiber composite.
The strand is the lightest seismic reinforcement and is very aesthetically pleasing.
Floating Piers
Over the water of Italy’s Lake Iseo, you can see another great innovation in the construction industry — Floating piers by artists, Christo and Jean-Claude.
It is a three-kilometer long walkway with 100,000 square meters of yellow cloth wrapped around it. The cubes undulate along the waves of the lake.
Self-Healing Concrete
Dutch civil engineer, Or Schlangen at Delft University has created a self-healing concrete.
This is demonstrated by breaking the material in two, putting the pieces together, and heating the concrete in a microwave oven.
Once the melted material cools down, it joins together.
[Article Source: Geniebelt]
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