Translucent Concrete

This is one technology that absolutely amazes me. Concrete that is tranlucent to the point where you can see the outline of shadows. At first, when looking at the pictures I thought that it wasnt concrete at all, and rather some kind of acrylic. Yet it is indeed 100% concrete, still with all the same strength properties that normal concrete has.

This special concrete allows light to pass through. The tile contains optical fibers that make up about 5% of its surface area. The fibers are distributed uniformly throughout the surface to allow an outline to be clearly visible on the other side. The tiles have the unique combination of being nearly unbreakable and translucent.

The material is made with a combination of optical fibers and fine concrete. It can be produced as prefabricated building blocks. Due to the small size of the fibers, they blend into concrete and become a component of the material like small pieces of aggregate. The result is a new material, which is homogeneous in both its inner structure and its surfaces.

The material is manufactured by alternating layers of concrete and fibers. The concrete sets and the material is cut into tiles. The pattern of the fibers can be uniform, or can be designed to a specification such as artificial wood grain.

This technology could be used on the building facade to promote the building from the outside. From the Howard Smith Wharves, the facade will seem to light up from the interior lights, and the users inside the building will cast shadows that will show through the facade. This would exhibit the buildings movement on the inside.

If you want to learn more about it, check out the link below. I highly recommend it.

http://www.inventables.com/technologies/translucent-concrete