Innovative Construction Materials in 21st Century

 Latest modern construction materials

    1. Translucent wood

Last Year Two research Groups,from University of Maryland and the KTH Royal institute of Technology, Almost simultaneously introduced chemical solutions capable of removing the molecules that provide wood its colour. The end result is a transparent glass- like wood you can see through.In many ways, Wood is a preferable material compared to its existing transparent rivals,such as glass and plastic. May Don't be surprised if this renewed traditional materials rapidly revolutionises Architecture and electronics.

Here would be several benefits for preferring wood over glass in architecture. Wood has lower thermal conductivity which would help to keep a building at more consistent temperature and make it easier to reach higher energy efficiency.

Wood also has good mechanical properties, such as strength, toughness and low density, which makes it even more attractive replacement for glass. The potential of transparent wood is not only in construction; it can also transform electronics.

2. The cooling system in bricks

In a recent study student at the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia invented a new material technology that has a cooling effect on building interiors. They used a combination of clay and hydrogel to create a cooling effect that comes from the presence of the hydrogel in the structure. This will absorb water that is released to reduce the temperature during hot days. Along with the ability to reduce indoor temperature by 6 degrees Celsius. This also involves the addition of water vapor to the air, resulting in a lowering of air temperature. It a way this process mimics the water-filled ceramic vessels effect. The porous and lattice-like ceramic brick is 3D printed that interlocks the bricks to create a strong bond when set in a mortar and then will absorb the water in their micro-pores kind of like a sponge effect. As the air passes through the bricks lattice structure the water is held in the pores and evaporates, thus bringing cold air into the interior environment and lowering the temperature. This method of material technology can be very innovative for areas with extremely high temperatures. This material in the architectural industry also becomes a living thing as part of nature and not outside. The components work as organisms with biological systems that are live operations between the structure and its surroundings. This material technology illustrates multiple innovative qualities that are social and behavioral in the environment that surpasses the original use of bricks and putting it into a more creative and efficient use.

 3. Cigarette butts to make bricks

Cigarette butt bricks are produced by blending cigarette butts with mixture of materials used for brick production. This is an innovative and practical solution for the pollution problems caused by cigarette butt disposal.

 

 Bricks, Cubes, and Beams produced from materials mixed with cigarette butts

4. Martian concrete

A team of Illinois-based scientists have developed a form of "Martian concrete" that could be used to build architectural structures on the surface of the red planet.

Lin Wan, Roman Wendner and Gianluca Cusatis from Northwestern University have formulated a construction material that combines Martian soil with molten sulphur, which they claim could be used to build an entire village on Mars.

The most important feature of the material is that – unlike regular concrete – it is produced without water, which is in scarce supply on Mars. The majority of water that exists on the planet today is frozen.

Another advantage of the material is that it it entirely recyclable, so it could be melted down and reset into a new form. It also has a natural resistance to acid and salt, and can endure very low temperatures.

5. Light-generating cement

In the concrete industry, they have introduced a new material that has one or more properties modified that has changed the face of concrete in the near future. Light generating concrete developed by Rubio Avalos that was released October 20, 2015, claimed that the applications are very broad. Inspired by a bicycle lane in Van Gogh’s Starry Night which is found in the Netherlands was built so at night passersby can see where they are traveling without the need of electricity consuming lighting. This new type of phosphorescent cement could be a new development that will change the way society consumes light energy. It is hypothesized that in the future it could illuminate highways, bike paths or buildings without using electricity. By adding additives, scientists modified the optical properties of the material. Thus they prevented the formation of crystals that occur normally during the production of cement, creating a noncrystalline structure. With the cement components, the material also upholds a long shelf life compared to other phosphorescent materials like plastics or paints. Even on cloudy days, the cement will be able to absorb enough energy to glow during dark periods for up to 12 hours. This material is still being developed with hopes of helping countries and areas with poor access to electricity in communities with poof life level. The likelihood this new innovative material can be an enormous disruptive element in the transformation of materials as it contains properties that more basic materials lack. Light generating concrete is a new function that hopefully will develop more in the future to challenge the way society functions.

6.The CABKOMA strand rod

Japan-based Komatsu Seiten Fabric Laboratory has created a new thermoplastic carbon fiber composite called CABKOMA Strand Rod. The Strand Rod is a carbon fiber composite which is covered in both synthetic and inorganic fibers and finished with a thermoplastic resin. The material has been used on the exterior of Komatsu Seiten’s head office.

World renowned architect, Kengo Kuma was the first to use this reinforcement material with his design of Komatsu Seiren’s head office. The use of textiles, along with the carbon fiber composites was also considered, including the “’greenbiz’ ultrafine porous spongy ceramic base, which is an eco-friendly building material.” The completed building is not known as the “fa-bo” fabric laboratory.

7.Biologically produced furniture

Our homes, furniture, and possessions could one day become part of the natural order. New York-based non-profit organisation Terreform ONE in collaboration with Genspace, have designed a series of benches made from organic materials that decompose once placed in a biological environment.

The prototypes form part of a series of experiments with biologically produced furniture that is grown rather than manufactured in the traditional sense.

“This low-tech, low energy process is pollution free, and contains a low embodied energy as part of a local ecosystem,” writes Terreform ONE. “The technology is easily transferable to the developing world. At the end of the useful product life cycle, Mycoform can be composted and safely reintroduced back into the environment, where it can be naturally biodegraded.”
8.Floating piers

A Bulgarian-born living in New York since 1968, Christo (Christo Vladimirov Javacheff, b. 1935) is world-known for his large-scale artworks which turn architectures and landscapes into gigantic pieces of art and create a dialogue between the artist’s mind, the visitors, and the urban and natural environments they encompass.



9.pollution absorbing bricks

To combat the pollution from brick kilns, MIT students developed the 'Eco BLAC brick. ' This specially designed brick is made from 70 percent leftover boiler ash waste, which would otherwise clog up local landfills. The rest of the brick is composed of sodium hydroxide, lime and a little bit of clay.

10.Self-healing concrete

The process of self-healing of cracks or self-filling up of cracks by the help of bacterial reaction in the concrete after hardening is known as Self-Healing Concrete.These types of bacteria can be in dormant cell and be viable for over 200 years under dry conditions.