Concrete can be poured at almost any point in the year, but the different seasons bring with them both positives and negatives that need to be considered. This is especially true for those of us in the Northeast United States where we tend to get a little bit of each season, even though both spring… Read more »
“It is no longer a question of if we will need to colonize other planets, but a question of when,” says Alexandra Radlińska, assistant professor of civil engineering at Penn State University. In order to give future space colonists a “concrete advantage,” Penn State researchers are collaborating with astronauts onboard the International Space Station (ISS)… Read more »
Flooding events are expected to become increasingly common in the coming years, according to the UK Climate Projections 2018. Over the next decade, hotter summer temperatures, rising sea levels and more extreme weather events such as flash floods will necessitate creative solutions in housing. Dutch architects may have found one such solution by using buoyant… Read more »
Did you know that modern concrete bridges require maintenance about once every five years, and major rehabilitation every 20 years? That’s true now, but a new type of rebar could change that in the future. A team of engineers at Deakin University in Victoria, Australia has developed an experimental polymer rebar to reinforce concrete and… Read more »
In an effort to reduce the carbon footprint of road construction, the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) is testing a new carbon-injected concrete mix. To test the mix, HDOT will pour about 4000 cubic feet of the carbon-injected concrete mix next to the same amount of standard concrete mix. The test will take place on… Read more »
Visit just about any construction site today and you’ll see cranes hoisting large slabs of concrete into place. However, cranes haven’t always been around, and for thousands of years human beings moved large stones by hand. Matter Design, a Boston-based company directed by MIT professor Brandon Clifford, recently collaborated with the multinational building materials company… Read more »
When a concrete structure or paved surface is involved in a fire, it won’t burn. It may, however, “spall.” When this happens, the outer layers of concrete will break apart violently and leave the structure unstable. In some cases, an entire structure may collapse to the ground as a result of intense fire spalling. The… Read more »
Over the course of the past few years, there has been a lot of buzz surrounding the idea of 3D-printing homes and other structures. 3D-printed homes have the potential to be affordable, durable and sustainable—a combination that is appealing both to home builders and prospective homeowners. But until recently, most companies pursing 3D-printed construction have… Read more »
Does it seem like road crews are resurfacing the highways in your area with fresh asphalt practically every year? This is due to the fact that asphalt roads, for all their virtues, have fairly limited lifespans, particularly in regions that experience harsh winter weather. Thanks to recent innovations in the paving industry, however, some contractors… Read more »
Concrete might form the bedrock of modern urban construction, but its impact on the environment is raising concerns among climate researchers. Recent estimates suggest that Portland cement, the essential binding ingredient in concrete, accounts for roughly seven percent of global carbon emissions. That could change soon, however, thanks to a multinational effort to drastically reduce… Read more »