Researchers at ETH Zurich University have fabricated a lightweight concrete slab using 3D printing, which is the first time 3D-printed concrete has been used in a full scale architecture project. The 80 square metre slab is only 20mm thick at its thinnest point and forms a concrete ceiling with decoratively ribbing. The slab is the […]
Read MoreWhen constructing a building on a site covered in trees, most architects specify that the majority of the trees will need to be felled to make room for the building. The architects of the new Shen Shen garden office in Shanghai wanted to buck the trend, however, by designing an office building while keeping most […]
Read MoreWith scientists reminding us that CO2 emissions are contributing to global warming, any reductions in emissions are welcome. The cement and concrete industries are finding ways to tackle this problem. The major ingredient of concrete is cement, and a lot of CO2 is produced during the manufacture of it. Major cement producers such as Heidelberg […]
Read MoreThe concrete coating manufacturer Surecrete has identified a number of concrete floor staining trends for 2018. There is pressure on architects and constructors to build environmentally friendly buildings, which is why many concrete floors are being treated with water-based eco-friendly stains that contains no harmful volatile organic compounds. They also make concrete floors easy to […]
Read MoreMany companies have a target that at least 60% of the building they use must have a green certificate, and the demand for green building is expected to rise. An example of what businesses can achieve comes from discount supermarket Lidl in its Lithuania operation. The retailer has green building certification for its Lithuanian logistics […]
Read MoreThe biggest UK concrete pour of 2017 may have been at the new Airbus centre at Filton near Bristol in December. The installation required 3,500 tonnes of concrete to be poured over a period of 24 hours. To transport the huge quantity of concrete for the Airbus centre required 240 lorry loads. Concrete from lorries […]
Read MoreAt e-retailer Amazon’s Seattle, Washington headquarters, three large glass dome structures have been built. Inside are 40,000 plants that grow above the concrete flooring. The 60-foot inside walls are covered in over 200 species of green plants. During the night the temperature of the spheres drops to 55°F with humidity up to 85% to protect […]
Read MoreEvery year in Britain, floods cause damage to houses. One solution to this issue could be to construct floating houses in flood-prone areas. To demonstrate the concept, the UK’s first floating house has been built on the River Thames in Marlow. The main structure of the house and the floors are made from Caltite concrete. […]
Read MoreThere has been an increase in buildings using large amounts of timber. Research by Oregon State University in the United States looked at how architects and builders can overcome the technical difficulties of designing and constructing largescale timber buildings. Normally, concrete flooring is used in high-rise buildings. The difficulty when using timber is that there […]
Read MoreThere were six nominees for the 2017 RIBA Stirling Prize for the best of British architecture, which was handed out at the end of October. The winner, Hastings Pier, is notable for its imaginative use of wood, but many of the nominees for the prize relied on concrete to create stunning visual effects. This year’s […]
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