We are facing a world of constant change that implies that our urban development must be sustainable. Under this premise, PG & Associates wishes to share the construction materials trending in 2023.
The emission of greenhouse gases and the consumption of finite resources make construction companies, industries, and scientists look for alternative construction materials to reduce these factors.
Below is a list of current construction materials that P&G Associates believe are changing how we build and generate better development.
The seven materials that change the construction
Builders have different points of view. Some think about the costs and transportation of construction materials, some about the pollution they generate, and others about their durability and resistance.
That is why we share a list of construction materials. They could be weak in some of the exposed factors but strong in others.
Biochar
Currently, everything that involves construction is synonymous with concrete. However, the demand is so great that it generates a scarcity of resources and pollution due to greenhouse gas emissions, so we are constantly searching for alternative improvements.
Biochar is an effective binder used in concrete. In specific proportions, it increases flexural and fire resistance. Also, it generates a better water retention capacity, chemical stability, and resistance to cracks.
In light constructions, it reduces the weight of concrete and can absorb salts and oil residues generated by the roads. Biochar accumulates concrete by removing carbon from the atmosphere.
Thus, this material prevents pollution and becomes a carbon sink. Adding one percent of Biochar mass to concrete could reduce approximately 20% of the annual carbon dioxide produced by cement industries.
Self-healing Concrete
More than a material, this technique, inspired by the self-healing of bones, embeds concrete and calcium lactate with capsules of limestone-producing bacteria when the concrete cracks, moisture, and air cause these bacteria to chew through the lactate and convert it to calcite.
Calcite is an ingredient in limestone that seals cracks in concrete begins with preventing collapsing buildings in the future due to microcracks generated during the construction process.
These bacteria can remain for 200 years, which is longer than modern buildings. Experts on the subject, such as Jonkers, are testing self-healing concrete in a lifeguard station specifically on the highway, according to which, since 2011, the structure has remained hermetic.
Construction Waste Bricks
Since conventional bricks cause significant environmental problems, either by using finite raw materials or creating carbon emissions, Geotechnical Engineer Gabriela Medero has decided to reinvent this material.
Construction and demolition waste such as bricks, sand, gravel, and plaster are used, crushed, and mixed with water and binders. Then this mixture is dyed with recycled pigments and pressed into molds to obtain a type of preferred color block.
K-Briq, as these bricks are known, is in the process of being certified by material regulators. According to Medero, K-Briq is stronger and more durable than fired clay bricks.
Richlite
Richlite is a material that combines layers of paper with a thermosetting resin. Done under pressure and heat, which makes the layers come together and cure the final product, finally producing a solid and stable sheet.
It is made from 100% recycled products. It is dense, consistent, and without holes, which resists impacts, deflection, and bending. Also, it is an alternative to using other solid surface materials and can be machined (drilling, tapping, turning, among others).
Carbon fiber
This material is a polymer made of strands of carbon atoms joined together in a crystalline formation. It is five times stronger than steel in cross-section, two times more rigid, and much lighter.
Carbon fiber has gained acceptance in construction, as its use in residential and commercial buildings is increasingly being used to reinforce concrete, avoiding steel.
It is also used in the load-bearing structures of bridges, decks, and support structures. It is also used to repair stressed structures by implementing a technique that improves the shear capacity, confinement in columns, and bending of beams and slabs.
Hemp Rebar
It is a material that is manufactured through a process in which hemp fibers are joined with thermoplastics and melted to form a solid bar.
Currently, these bars can be used to support concrete structures, and unlike steel, they avoid corrosion and reduce carbon emissions.
Precisely, oxidation is how this alternative becomes strong before the other materials used in construction. It contributes to the early decomposition of structures.
Mycelium
Mycelium is a material composed of natural fungi that contain tiny threads called hyphae and could act as a natural glue. These threads colonize substrates and cement them to form a solid block.
If the root-shaped mycelium fibers are dry, they are directly used as a super strong, waterproof, fire and mildew-resistant building material. Mycelium products are shaped to produce insulating panels, furniture, and bricks with better thermal and acoustic properties.
However, this material has low structural strength and becomes inactive when exposed to the environment. For this reason, experts are still researching since it is carbon sequestered, making its importance in construction come alive.
We have observed that most of the materials on this list are carbon sequestered, which is why they help pollution. However, some of them are expensive compared to those traditionally used.
The use of these materials directly depends on the consumer’s intention. Carbon fiber is more expensive than steel, but its weight and strength properties can be valued above its price.
The important thing is that as the population increases, it brings greater urban development and better science of materials. We don’t have to worry since the world will look for a way to be sustainable.
We have listed here cities with the worst urban development in the world. It is impressive how this aspect of cities can affect the life quality.
