Building Materials of the Future

Materials chemistry and structural engineering may not sound as exciting as quantum physics or dinosaur paleontology, but they impact your daily life more profoundly than almost any other scientific fields. Scientists have developed a great number of new types of building materials with really miraculous properties. I would like to tell you about the most unusual and promising ones.

Translucent concrete Concrete buildings are known more for their stability than their great lighting. That was until translucent concrete started to make its way on to the market. Translucent concrete is mixed with glass fiber optical strands, which create a solid but sheer block. LitraCon, as the concrete is known, can be used in flooring and pavement. According to the concretes manufacturers, the optical fibers make up only 4 percent of the mixture. Meaning that blocks made from this material still have the ability to support load-bearing walls.

SensiTile SensiTiles are the tiles with embeded acrylic fiber-optic channels that transfer light from one point to another. While walking, shadows move across their surface and the light channels flicker, giving you a lighted path that guides you way through the dark room.

Electrified Wood You may never have to deal with the tangle of wires again thanks to Electrified Wood. This European-designed material incorporates a source of electricity directly into tables and chairs. Two metal layers are pressed between the wood of the furniture, making it possible to pass an electrical current through the whole thing. The 12-volt power is fed to the metal layers via one connector, and lamps, and other devices can be connected via the other.

Kinetic Glass (Living Glass) Living Glass, which was developed by architects Soo-in Yang and David Benjamin, is a smart material with a transparent surface that automatically opens and closes gill-like slits in response to human presence to control the air quality in the room. The surface is embedded with wires that contract due to electrical stimulus. This allows the 'gills' to regulate air quality by 'breathing the air'.

Self-Repairing Cement A new self-healing cement is currently being developed which has the ability to repair its own cracks. This cement is mixed with microcapsules that release a glue-like epoxy resin that will automatically repair any cracks that form in the sidewalk or roadway. In addition this cement will have the ability to regulate heat. Phase-change materials that can absorb or release large amounts of heat have also been included in the ingredients. With this material we would be able to save energy by developing buildings that can control their own temperature, and save money on repairs as well.

Carbon Fiber Carbon fiber is an extremely strong, lightweight material. It's five times as strong as steel, two times as stiff, yet weighs about two-thirds less. Carbon fiber is made up of carbon strands that are thinner than human hair. The strands can be woven together, like cloth, and then that can be molded to any shape you might want. In addition to being strong, carbon fiber is also flexible, so it's the perfect material for construction projects in areas that are exposed to hurricanes and tornados.

Liquid Granite According to its creators, liquid granite has the ability to completely replace cement in concrete. The material is a lightweight and has the same load bearing capacity of cement, but is made of recycled materials. Liquid granite has none of the environmental impacts that cement and concrete do. It is made up of between 30 and 70 percent recycled material, and uses less than one third of the cement used in precast concrete. Which means that it has a greatly reduced carbon footprint. Finally, liquid granite is astoundingly fire resistant. It can withstand temperatures of up to 1,100 degrees Celsius while still maintaining its structural properties. Unlike concrete it does not explode in high temperatures.

So, as you can see, there has been a real revolution in building materials. Thanks to their characteristics designers and engineers will be able to construct new types of buildings.