Innovative Construction Materials
Innovation is the key part of the business today. It doesn’t matter which industry you belong to, innovation drives growth. Similarly, in construction industry we are experiencing advancement. Researchers and organizations are trying their best to take construction industry to next level by using technology.
Innovation is not only about producing new materials and products, but about improving, modifying and playing with what we already have. Here are some materials that the architects innovatively use in the buildings:
1-Cross Laminated Timber
Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is a wood panel product made from gluing together layers of solid-sawn lumber, i.e., lumber cut from a single log. Each layer of boards is usually oriented perpendicular to adjacent layers and glued on the wide faces of each board, usually in a symmetric way so that the outer layers have the same orientation. An odd number of layers is most common, but there are configurations with even numbers as well. Advantages of CLT are:
Design Flexibility: CLT can be used in walls, roofs or ceilings. Thickness can be increased by adding layers into it.
Eco-Friendly: CLT is renewable and sustainable material.
Economical: The cost of CLT is lower than the concrete and steel. Because the CLT is lighter, so it requires a small foundation.
2-Pigmented Concrete
Concrete is an achromatic sign of strength that, when revealed, causes harsh and roughness to human feelings. However, colored concrete mixtures can result if suitable pigmented admixtures are applied to the traditional concrete mixture of cement, gravel, sand and water. Other than aesthetics, it offers a sense of context and comparison with the environment, while reducing paint and sealant dependency.
Pigmented Concrete can be used in exterior flatwork, floors, walls and countertops. The main advantage of pigments is that the color extends throughout the slab, so even if surface abrasion occurs, the color will not wear away.
3-The Cabkoma Strand Rod
It is a composite of thermoplastic carbon fiber used specifically for resilience purposes in the exterior of the building and to protect the buildings from earthquakes especially in Japan. It is the lightest seismic reinforcement, delicate and thus highly effective to add aesthetics to the structure. Main features other than Rust-free and Excellent Durability are:
Light weight: It is 5 times lighter than the classic metal rod.
High Tensile Strength: Extremely strong building material creates tension and compression while supporting the structure.
Thermal Deformation: Thermal deformation is possible even after hardened.
4-Light Generating Cement
Light-emitting concrete is a form of intelligent and multifunctional concrete with the ability to capture and emit solar energy or artificial light as visible light in the darkness. This material is composed of silica, river sand, industrial waste, alkali and water. Light Generating Cement can be used as road signs because of its light emitting property. It also can be used in bathrooms, swimming pools, facades, roads, parking areas and kitchens.
5-Hollow Clay Bricks
Hollow clay bricks are horizontally perforated clay bricks having the advantages of natural substances and are hollow from inside making them light weighted and more efficient. The irregular shape of this brick mainly helps to block the sun and allow the building to breathe through its hollow cores to let the air move through. This arrangement helps to add to the thermal comfort of the building users through noise interference from the outside of the building.
