Concrete
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While many of us might think that concrete structures such as bridges simply stand unaided for decades at a time, the fact is that they require maintenance as often as once every five years. An experimental new type of rebar, however, could drastically change that. -
Although glass is thought of as being eco-friendly because it's recyclable, the fact is that a lot of it doesn't get recycled. Now, however, scientists are suggesting that glass waste could be used to make concrete that's stronger and cheaper.
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Casa B, by Italian firm Architrend Architecture, is a recently-completed concrete townhouse that's fronted by a glazed facade. In a novel touch that brings to mind Casa Brutale, the home also has a glass-bottomed swimming pool up top.
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When calcium chloride de-icer is spread on sidewalks or roads, it reacts with the calcium hydroxide in concrete, creating calcium oxychloride. Also known as CAOXY, this substance expands within the concrete, causing it to crack. Adding bacteria, however, may keep that from happening.
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Utilizing tape to repair concrete structures may seem like some hillbilly fix-it joke, but in fact that's just what fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) sheets are used for. Now, scientists have developed a better FRP, that halves the number of people and amount of time required for application.
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Most of the concrete architecture projects we cover are luxury homes for the wealthy. Not the Affordable Housing Langgrütstrasse though, as this concrete apartment building offers some of the cheapest apartments to rent in Zurich, Switzerland, according to Gus Wüstemann Architects.
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Although concrete doesn't burn, it can "spall" when subjected to extreme heat – this means that surface layers of the material break off, potentially causing structures made of it to collapse. According to a new study, however, fibers obtained from discarded tires can help keep that from happening.
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The Planter Box house by Formzero is a particularly creative solution to residential urban farming, offering its inhabitants ample space to grow their greens in a set of tiered concrete garden beds that make up the facade.
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Described as one part Scandinavian minimalism and two parts Virginia countryside, the Lost Whisky Concrete Cabin is an appealing concrete getaway offering escape from the hustle of daily life. It boasts great views and helps guests unwind with a wood-fired hot tub and net hammock.
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With a focus on storing energy from intermittent renewable sources such as wind and solar, Swiss company Energy Vault has just launched an innovative new system that stores potential energy in a huge tower of concrete blocks, which can be “dropped” by a crane to harvest the kinetic energy.
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Although we've already seen 3D printers that can create full-size concrete structures, the huge size of the devices could make them difficult to install at construction sites. Singaporean scientists are developing an alternative, in the form of mobile robots that work together to do the job.
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The Forest House on Argentina’s Atlantic coastline takes the use of concrete to the extreme, using it to cover almost every square inch, which actually works to blend in seamlessly with the tones of its wooded surrounds.
