CD Designs Blog
Living Concrete!
Moss Covered 'Living' Building
If you missed our Spanish and mainly Barcelona themed blogs last summer like this one on the Sagrada Familia, and this one about Gaudi’s Park Guell, then here is another one that may have you longing for warmer climates.
Researchers at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Barcelona have created a type of concrete that supports and accelerates the growth of microalgae, fungi, lichens and mosses. It consists of four layers, the first being a structural layer, next a waterproof layer which protects the structural layer from water damage, then the biological layer which actually supports the colonisation of the various organisms, and finally a discontinuous coating layer with a reverse waterproofing function, that redirects the flow of water to where it’s needed.
The researchers claim that this new material will absorb CO2 from the surrounding area helping to improve the air quality, as well as capture solar radiation which will help to regulate the temperature inside of the building, making any structure built with this material a great benefit to the local environment. “The biological concrete acts not only as an insulating material and a thermal regulator, but also as an ornamental alternative,” said the research team.
You can see the original article here.
Post Date: | 25th January 2013 |
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The Future Of Concrete?
In the above video, professor Behrokh Khoshnevis of the University of Southern California explains his vision for the future. It expands upon the ideas from this blog in July, where we gave a brief description of the process of 3D printing. The concrete used in todays homes has a usual compressive strength of 3,000 psi (pounds per square inch), but the new fiber composite used for the contour crafting would have a psi of 10,000. It would also set fast enough to be used for arches and domes on-the-fly.
Going one stage further and imagining even more sophisticated uses for concrete is mechanical engineering student Ben Peters of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). His idea is for a ’spiderbot’, which is essentially a modified skycam that you might see filming a stadium event or an inventive movie shot. The skycams can be moved horizontally and vertically like a huge marionette, or can have their own motors attached which allow them to traverse a support wire.
Peters and other researchers in the Mediated Matters lab at MIT, focus on bio-inspired 3D fabrication and are further looking into the example that spiders in the construction process. In the future they hope to use silk-like materials combined with concrete and 3D printing to create quick to build, great looking and environmentally friendly structures.
You can look at the original article here.
Post Date: | 30th November 2012 |
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Olympic Eco-Report
Following on from our look at the 2012 London Olympics, and the environmental and sustainability goals that were set by the organisers, a new report has just been released examining these things.
The BRE Trust study looks at “the influence of the concrete supply strategy on the overall carbon footprint of the London 2012 Games, and also explores how the Olympic Delivery Authority addressed a variety of supply constraints. Outlining key lessons learnt from using sustainable concretes, the publication provides a unique insight for engineers, designers, architects, concrete manufacturers and regulatory authorities who will be able to apply the learning to future building projects.”
According to the report, the embodied carbon of the concretes supplied across the London 2012 Olympic Park was 33% lower than the UK construction industry average, which is good news for all those involved in trying to make the London Olympics the most environmentally friendly ever, and good news for the environment.
Post Date: | 10th November 2012 |
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One Hotel To Rule Them All
Following on from our Frankenstein themed post, here is another tenuous entry linking concrete recycling and movies. A hotel in Mexico resembles something from The Lord Of The Rings, and has rooms made out of recycled concrete storm drains and sewers.
The hotel is located outside the village of Tepozltan, about an hour away from Mexico City, and opened in 2010. As the original article says, “If Bilbo Baggins was travelling around North America this is probably where he would stay”. The hotel consists of 20 concrete tubes formerly used for sewers and drainage systems, each with a queen-sized bed and a mountain view. It aims at the backpacker market, with a room recommended for 2 people but the hotel allowing as many as you can fit in, for the equivalent of £20 or £35 at weekends. The facilities are very basic, with each tube having a bed, night-lamp, fan and storage space, and the toilets are in 2 separate bath houses nearby. Far from deterring people however, they have found all sorts of people wanting to stay there because of its unusual nature.
Post Date: | 9th November 2012 |
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Environmentally Friendly Parking
Any area that is frequently used to park vehicles will probably require surface reinforcement. Without it the ground will quickly become boggy, rutted and unsightly, with little chance of sustaining healthy grass growth. The usual materials used to reinforce the ground – concrete, tarmac and block paving, are usually impermeable or semi-permeable, which can create problems when it comes to Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS).
The grass Ecoblock looks almost natural
One solution to this problem is to Ecoblock. The Ecoblock porous paving systems provide effective grass protection and gravel retention and have been designed for long term use in a wide range of load bearing applications. It is available for use with both grass and gravel, and offer many advantages over traditional surfaces. They are manufactured from fully UV stabilised, 100% recycled, High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), which is chemically inert and can be located in the ground without long term damage to the surrounding soils. Ecoblock systems are also fade resistant, providing longer-lasting, aesthetically pleasing solutions.
The grass version is lawnmower friendly, and both the grass and gravel types are easy to install and require low maintenance. You can find out more about them at Buildbase Civils & Lintels.
Post Date: | 27th September 2012 |
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Tags: | Concrete, Driveway Design, Eco-Friendly, Ecoblock, garden design ideas, sustainable |