Light-transmitting concrete
Litracon, a light-transmitting concrete developed by Hungarian architect Áron Losonczi, evoked a tremendous response within the international design community at the time of its unveiling. A combination of optical fibers and fine concrete, Litracon may be produced in panel form as well as prefabricated building blocks. The large number and small diameter of the light transmitting fibers result in a homogeneous mixture that assumes a new identity. Part structural concrete, part light-transmissive surface, Litracon immediately calls into question known conventions of both materials.
Load-bearing walls may be constructed using Litracon, as the glass fibers act as an aggregate and have no adverse effect on the strength of the concrete. Despite their relatively small proportion—only 4 percent of the total volume of the blocks—the parallel optical fibers transmit light effectively through walls up to several meters thick. Shadows conveyed through the material are rendered crisply, and the light color is unchanged.
Contact: Litracon Bt, Csongrád, Hungary.
For more information, see Transmaterial 3: A Catalog of Materials that Redefine our Physical Environment
