New Atlas

Materials Audio available

Bacteria could prevent potholes caused by road salts

Ben Coxworth April 9, 2019

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.

Adding bacteria could prevent de-icers from causing concrete used on roadways to crack

Materials

Light-activated wrap designed to fix concrete structures

Ben Coxworth April 8, 2019

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.

A bare cracked concrete pillar (left), and one reinforced with FasRaP

Architecture

Zurich apartment building offers affordable rent and a whole lot of concrete

Adam Williams March 12, 2019

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.

Affordable Housing Langgrütstrasse's interior is mostly made up of concrete

Environment Audio available

Recycled tires may help concrete take the heat

Ben Coxworth February 20, 2019

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.

Along with using polymer fibers from tires to help release moisture from hot concrete, the scientists ...

Architecture

Planter Box House hides behind a cascading wall of vibrant greenery

Nick Lavars January 30, 2019

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.

The Planter Box house was designed for a retired couple with a keen interest in gardening ...

Tiny Houses

Tiny concrete cabin provides off-grid rest and relaxation

Adam Williams December 12, 2018

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.

The Lost Whisky Concrete Cabin is situated on a 50 acre (20 hectare) plot just outside ...

Energy Audio available

Energy Vault to build grid-level, gravity-fed battery from a tower of concrete blocks

Michael Irving November 8, 2018

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.

Energy Vault has launched a new grid-level energy storage system that uses concrete blocks, stacked in ...

3D Printing

Robots collaborate on 3D-printing concrete structures

Ben Coxworth October 2, 2018

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.

The NTU team with the two robots and the structure that they built

Architecture

Striking Forest House keeps it concreted and classy on wooded coastline

Nick Lavars September 12, 2018

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.

The rooftop of the Forest House was designed as a green terrace to boost thermal insulation

3D Printing

US military builds barracks using "world's largest" 3D printer

Adam Williams September 10, 2018

3D-printed construction is portable and inexpensive, and could help build a safe barracks in a shorter time. With this in mind, the US Marine Corps Systems Command recently constructed a prototype concrete barracks in under two days with what it says is the world's largest 3D printer.

US Marine Corps Systems Command used a 3D printer to construct a prototype concrete barracks measuring ...