As the world stands still and awaits a return to normalcy, scientists continue to look for more efficient and sustainable solutions for the construction industry. We will tell you what researchers from different countries of the world are currently working on and what kind of materials they are developing. Who knows, perhaps something from our list will appear on the construction market in the coming years.
Any ambitious project to colonize Mars (or the Moon) ultimately comes up against the "housing issue". Where on an alien planet to get housing for the first colonists? Carrying ready-made houses or materials for their construction with you, firstly, is extremely costly, and secondly, it is not environmentally friendly. The solution was found by the Ames Research Center (NASA): the agency's specialists suggested growing buildings right on the spot, from mushrooms, or rather, from their underground part - mycelium.
The astronauts will have to take mycelium with them from the Earth and start the growth process already on Mars (or the Moon) with the help of water. Under "certain conditions," the agency says, the tiny threads will weave into intricate and sturdy structures of various shapes: some can be used as building blocks, others as pieces of furniture. In terms of its strength, organic material is not inferior to reinforced concrete, but, unlike it, is able to grow and "regenerate".
NASA's ultimate goal is not just a living box, but an entire ecosystem. A three-layer dome structure is designed to unite people, mushrooms and blue-green algae under one roof. Its outer shell is formed by ice extracted from the bowels of an alien planet. The crust protects the inhabitants of the dome from radiation and "feeds" water and sunlight to the cyanobacteria, which "live" on the "floor" below. Blue-green algae, in turn, serve as a source of oxygen for people and nutrients for mycelium. The inner layer of the dwelling consists of the mycelium, hardened and disinfected by "baking".
No less interesting options for building materials are being developed for implementation on planet Earth. For example, scientists at Swinburne University of Technology (Melbourne) have come up with a new type of "concrete": more flexible than its traditional counterpart - 400 times (!) - but just as durable.
The secret lies in the mixture of fly ash and short polymer fibers. It is polymer fibers that prevent "concrete" from breaking and crumbling even when cracks occur, which makes the material suitable for construction in earthquake-prone areas.
Flexible concrete requires 36% less energy - when compared to cement-based mass - and emits 76% less CO2 to the atmosphere. It is also important that the solution sets at room temperature.
The leaders of the Waiwai architectural studio Wael al-Avar and Kanichi Taramoto, curators of the UAE national pavilion at the Venice Biennale of Architecture, are looking for an "environmentally friendly" replacement for the "harmful" Portland cement. At the 17th exhibition in a row - the opening of which, by the way,
will take place only next year - they planned to demonstrate samples of the resulting cement. It is based on minerals and salt compounds found in sebkha - "salty" areas of land near the Persian Gulf. According to the authors, the innovative mixture is similar in physical properties to Portland cement, but leaves a smaller carbon footprint. Perhaps the invention of the Waiwai studio executives will come in handy in the construction of sustainable housing in the deserts.
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zooming 1/5 Wetland Project Photo courtesy of the UAE National Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale. Author: Dina Al Khatib
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zooming 2/5 Wetland Project Photo courtesy of the UAE National Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale. Author: Dina Al Khatib
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zooming 3/5 Wetland Project Photo courtesy of the UAE National Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale. Author: Dina Al Khatib
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zooming 4/5 Wetland Project Photo courtesy of the UAE National Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale. Author: Dina Al Khatib
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zooming 5/5 Wetland Project Photo courtesy of the UAE National Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale. Author: Dina Al Khatib
Scottish startup Kenoteq has launched the production of bricks from construction waste. 90% of K-Briq blocks consist of fragments of bricks, drywall, concrete, gravel, sand and other industrial waste, the remaining "place" is occupied by a binder, the formula of which is kept in the strictest confidence.
The authors of the development say that recyclable bricks do not outwardly differ from their "normal" counterparts, but they retain heat better and are much more environmentally friendly. K-Briq blocks do not need to be fired in a kiln and when they are produced, 10 times less carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere.
Kenoteq also plans to reduce its carbon footprint by eliminating the waste of energy on logistics: while more than 85% of the bricks used on construction sites in Scotland are imported from England and other European countries, Kenoteq products are produced right next to the “consumption” site in Edinburgh. Nevertheless, it will not work to produce bricks directly on the construction site using “improvised means”: during production it is necessary to observe a strict recipe. According to the authors, the initial components for the mixture will come from waste collection points and recycling centers.
By the way, from the K-Briq blocks this year they were going to build
summer pavilion of the London gallery "Serpentine" designed by a young architectural studio from South Africa Counterspace. The opening of the 20th pavilion was scheduled for June, but was postponed for a well-known reason.
