Amazing Materials That Changed How We See Construction Today
Over time, there has been a glaring evolution in building materials. From clays, rocks, kids, sticks, wood, leaves, and twigs, we have moved on to innovative building materials set to change the future in the construction industry. Most of these materials are created towards sustainable development goals. Regardless of the nature of these building materials, our perspectives and enhanced creativities in the construction industry have experienced change. Some of these excellent building materials are listed below.
Acrylic glass (Plexiglass)
Also known as plexiglass or acrylic sheeting, acrylic glass is made of a chemical called methacrylate. After processing, the acrylic material looks like clear rigid plastic, making it an alternative to regular construction glasses. It is flexible and can be fabricated easily to suit whatever purpose.
There are two main types of acrylic sheeting: Extruded/continuous cast and Cast acrylic which is more flexible and thermoformable of the two types, which means it can be manipulated hot. You can use acrylic to construct walls, windows, skylights, solar panels, and other construction works. Acrylic sheeting is an ideal building material that is shatterproof, durable, strong, flexible, and can be applied in varieties of construction works.
Cross-laminated timber
Cross-laminated timber is an engineered wood made from wood strips glued together symmetrically. The symmetrical joining of the woods makes the CLT rigid in both directions. It has been used to construct bridges, high-rise buildings, mid-rise buildings, wooden car garages, and modular constructions.
Advantages of the CLT include:
It is eco-friendly (renewable, sustainable, and green)
CLT is light weighted.
The thermal insulation is high.
One can apply CLT in many areas of construction.
Some of its disadvantages are:
The usage is still limited. Not many projects have been executed using the CLT.
It is expensive to put together.
Translucent wood
We all know that woods are not supposed to be transparent. How then was translucent wood achieved? First, the main light-absorbing component in the wood was removed, after which the addition of acrylic components. Transparent wood is eco-friendly, although it does not entirely tick the sustainability box as it is not a recyclable material. However, that has not stopped the growing demand for translucent wood over the years. It is one of the most used innovative building materials in the construction industry.
Light Generating Cement
It does just what the name implies! Light-generating cement is a phosphorescent construction material that absorbs light energy in the day and emits energy at night. A beautiful thing about the light-absorbing cement is its sun-resistant nature, unlike the plastic light-absorbing fluorescent, which has an average life span of 3 years. Some of its advantages are:
It saves energy
It has an estimated lifespan of 100 years.
It beautifies the structures.
Its disadvantages include:
It is expensive
It requires experts to put together, which means processing might take time.
Light-emitting cement can be applied in constructions like ceilings, furniture, speed bumps, sidewalks, pavement, walls, floors, and others.
Pigmented Concrete
Ordinarily, concrete comes in a grey color, but once pigments, dyes, or stains are added to the materials used to make it, it becomes colored. The pigments added are either powdered or liquid, organic or inorganic, synthetic or natural. When pigments are added to concrete:
It weakens the concrete, which is why there is a standard dosage to prevent that.
It changes the concrete's color.
The air content in the concrete is influenced, but if the 10% - 90% dosage is used (ratio of pigment to concrete), there shouldn’t be any problem.
One advantage the use of pigment has is that the color of the concrete does not fade away: Regardless of the harshness of the temperature, the pigmented color does not change. However, a downside to this building material is that it is expensive.
Transparent Aluminum
Transparent aluminum is a fascinating, innovative building material. It is neither glass nor metal and does not carry all the features of aluminum. This is because the composition comprises aluminum, oxygen, and nitrogen (AION). Transparent Aluminum is an imitation of the popular material used in the star trek movie. It, however, does not have the properties of the one used in the film. Instead, aluminum oxynitride is crystalline and is made of aluminate powder heated and compressed. The ceramic, after its cooling, can be polished and shaped into any desired form. It is a brilliant material used to construct infrared optical windows, sensor components, and bulletproof products.
The early materials used in buildings were perishable and non-sustainable, but with technology, the durability and lifespan of building materials have improved by 100%. There is no stopping the quest to promote green, renewable, and sustainable building materials to help conserve natural resources for future generations. Yet, the construction industry continues to prevail.
