Transmaterial » concrete

Eco-Cement

Blaine Brownell — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 14:00:56 +0000

Developed by John Harrison of TecEco, Eco-Cement is made by blending reactive magnesium oxide with conventional hydraulic cements. Mimicking nature, Eco-Cement concretes absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in order to harden into materials used for the built environment. As Eco-Cements are also chemically benign, large amounts of various wastes can be incorporated into the concrete matrix. The Eco-Cement technology offers partial solutions for global warming, climate change, waste, and cost-effective mass housing.

Contact: TecEco Pty. Ltd., Glenorchy, TAS, Australia.
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Rastra

Blaine Brownell — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 14:00:17 +0000

Rastra panels are large building blocks with a grid of internal channels that serve as a stay-in-place wall form for residential and commercial structures. Once a complete floor is set in place, the channels are reinforced and concrete is poured to achieve any desired strength. A Rastra wall is capable of withstanding earthquakes, hurricanes, and other forces of nature, because the system of channels is designed to provide maximum strength with minimum amount of concrete.

The Rastra panels are made of recycled post-consumer foam plastics placed in a cement matrix. This composition unifies the best properties for a wall; it is durable, lightweight, and quick to install, and also provides high thermal and acoustic insulation. Rastra is resistant to fire, mold, insects, and rodents. It also has a cementitious surface to which stucco adheres well.

Contact: Rastra Corporation, Scottsdale, AZ, USA.
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Transbuoyant Concrete

Blaine Brownell — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 14:00:13 +0000

Architect Peter Jay Zweig and Monotech International, Inc. have developed an innovative, extremely fast, flexible, inexpensive, and environmentally-friendly building system with a wide variety of applications. This system includes a proprietary concrete blend with performance-enhancing additives called Monocrete, which is an integral part of a double monocoque design which Zweig terms Transbuoyant Concrete.

Unlike conventional concrete, Transbuoyant Concrete has extremely high tensile and flexural strength as well as high compression strength. The building system is durable, easily maintained, as well as earthquake, water, wind, fire, and bullet resistant. It is also extremely lightweight and easy to construct.

Contact: Monotech International, Inc., Houston, TX, USA.
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Xposed

Blaine Brownell — Fri, 13 May 2011 14:00:12 +0000

Xposed is a refined cement-based eco-composite made from natural minerals and up to 25% post-industrial recycled content. Standard slab materials are available and can be fabricated into countertops, table tops, surrounds, or display tops using ordinary natural stone fabrication tools and equipment. Xposed is also available for custom interior and exterior applications such as furniture elements, sinks, tiles, and three-dimensional objects. Twelve standard colors are available as well as custom colors.

Contact: Meld, Raleigh, NC, USA.
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FibreC

Blaine Brownell — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 15:00:12 +0000

FibreC is a light-weight, high performance concrete that requires no steel reinforcement. A special extrusion process incorporates layers of fiber glass into a concrete matrix; in the top layer and underlayer the fibers are undirected and scattered, and in the medium layer they take the form of roofings (fiber bundles). The omission of steel reinforcement allows the construction of slim concrete elements that are highly stressable despite being extremely thin-walled. The result is an extremely thin slab with 8 to 13 mm thickness, which is very light-weight, yet has a high flexural strength.

FibreC slabs are fabricated in different colors before being hardened for 28 days. Owing to its formability, the so-called “concrete skin” offers flowing transitions from interior to exterior surfaces and a smooth covering for edges and corners. As FibreC can be used for all surfaces, traditional spatial boundaries disappear, and interior and exterior conditions may be treated similarly.

Contact: Rieder Faserbeton-Elemente GmbH, Kolbermoor, Germany.
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PIXA

Blaine Brownell — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 14:00:19 +0000

PIXA, designed by Abhinand Lath, utilizes Sensitile Systems’ light-piping technologies to enable the placement of a precise grid of light guides within a concrete matrix. These light guides optically connect the two surfaces of the material and mate directly to an LED screen or projection system on one surface, allowing the digital control of each “pixel” on the corresponding surface. PIXA is also appropriate for use as a screen or divider panel, and may be manufactured with a random, “organic” pattern of light terminals rather than a strict grid layout.

Contact: SensiTile Systems, Ypsilanti, MI, USA.
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Creacrete

Blaine Brownell — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 14:00:03 +0000

Concrete is an omnipresent material in architecture and public space. Previous attempts to use it in product design have led to massive, heavy objects which were also limited in their formal design. Creacrete is a concrete-based material that is highly dense and compact and makes thin-walled objects with glossy surfaces possible for the first time. Creacrete explores new sides of concrete with the aim to realize surfaces that are permanently glossy, abrasion- and acid-resistant, food safe, and hydrophobic.

Developed by Alexa Lixfield, Creacrete shows the possible innovative use of concrete as an alternative material for ceramics. The use of concrete shortens the production process compared to that of ceramics because it eliminates the need for two kiln firings—thus reducing energy input and expenses. The simplified production process also allows new freedom in form-making. Just as ceramics need a glaze coating to be resistant to stains, concrete needs adequate treatment to make it stain-resistant and food-safe.

Contact: AlexaLixfeld Design GmbH, Hamburg, Germany.
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Element

Blaine Brownell — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:00:45 +0000

Hycrete’s Element is an environmentally friendly admixture that integrally waterproofs concrete used in commercial construction. Certified Cradle-to-Cradle by McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry, LLC (MBDC), Element eliminates the need for external membranes typically used to waterproof concrete, thereby making the concrete more-easily recyclable following demolition. This approach can eliminate thousands of pounds of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), CO2 and non-renewable content. Additionally, the admixture enhances structure durability by protecting against corrosion of steel rebar.

In eliminating the need for a manually applied membrane, Hycrete Element can also save time in construction schedules. With typical membrane applications, contractors must often wait for the concrete to dry before a waterproofing sub-contractor can apply the membrane – even after rainfall and re-wetting. In contrast, Hycrete Element is dosed during concrete mixing and is not subject to weather delays.

Contact: Hycrete, Inc., Carlstadt, NJ, USA.
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Swisspearl

Blaine Brownell — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:00:19 +0000

Swisspearl panels were specially designed for the ventilated facade system. Made from a high quality cement composite, the incredibly durable panels are integrally colored with a delicate vein texture, which imparts a monolithic appearance. Swisspearl panels possess excellent color fastness, and custom colors are available on request.

Contact: Eternit AG, Niederurnen, Switzerland.
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Ductal

Blaine Brownell — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:00:04 +0000

Ductal is a new material technology that offers ductility, strength, and durability while providing moldable products with a quality surface. Compressive strengths reach up to 30,000 psi (200 MPa) and flexural strengths reach up to 7,000 psi (50 MPa). With Ductal, it is possible to create thinner sections, longer spans, and higher structures, which are lighter, more graceful and innovative in geometry, and have superior durability and impermeability against corrosion, abrasion, and impact.

Ductal provides precasters with opportunities to improve many existing products and to manufacture new lines of products that will compete with stainless steel, cast iron, ceramics, and others. By utilizing its superior properties, Ductal solutions can eliminate passive reinforcing steel and experience reduced global construction costs, formwork, labor, and maintenance, resulting in benefits such as improved construction safety, speed of construction, and extended life.

Contact: Lafarge North America Inc., Herndon, VA, USA.
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