The science of materials is ever so fascinating. From the groundbreaking work of Neri Oxman to the rise of sustainable materials, the future of construction looks incredibly promising. Today, architects and engineers are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, developing materials that are not only innovative but also environmentally responsible.
This article will highlight 8 of the most innovative construction materials. From transparent wood that allows light to pass through while retaining the strength of traditional wood, to glass-blocks as robust as concrete, each material may sound like something out of science fiction, yet these breakthroughs are already shaping the buildings of tomorrow.
1. Transparent Wood
First introduced in 2016, transparent wood was a breakthrough in innovative construction materials. Fast Forward to 2021 and Researchers at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden took this material beyond its potential. Their idea of infusing wood with a clear bio-plastic extracted from citrus fruit made transparent wood 100 percent renewable and more translucent.
The impressive properties of transparent wood are high optical transmittance, low thermal conductivity, and mechanical strength. What this means is that this material has similar strength as traditional wood, allows light to pass through, and is much stronger than glass. It also has renewable and biodegradable properties which make it a sustainable material that can improve insulation and reduce energy consumption.
The applications of transparent wood are used for windows, facades, and even solar cells. It is particularly appealing for energy-efficient construction projects that require insulation and light diffusion. Experimental uses in energy-efficient building projects and solar panels are underway, but large-scale implementations are still in development stages.
2. Hydro Ceramics
Back in 2013, Master students Akanksha Rathee, Pong Santayanon, and Elena Mitrofanova developed an innovative material at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia. With a curious endeavor to explore how buildings could respond intelligently to environmental conditions, this material was developed by mixing hydrogels and clay to create walls capable of passive cooling.
The impressive properties of hydro ceramics are their capability to absorb large quantities of water and release it through evaporation, which passively cools down the surrounding area by up to 6°C. This is due to the combination of water-absorbing hydrogels with porous clay panels. In dry climates, the hydrogel can increase indoor humidity indoors by around 15% as they can absorb 500 times its weight in water. In hot climates, this material can reduce energy consumption by 28%.
It’s safe to say that hydro ceramics offer a low-cost, energy-efficient, and sustainable alternative to air conditioning systems. Hydro ceramics have been tested in cooling pavilions designed by IAAC, showcasing their ability to passively regulate building temperatures.
3. Self-healing Concrete
The idea of manipulating concrete to heal itself is not as new as you might imagine. Actually, research on this innovative construction material started in the nineties of the last century. Self-healing concrete wasn’t a viable option until 2006, when microbiologist professor Henk Jonkers, at Delft University of Technology, Netherlands, discovered the perfect healing agent “bacillus”.
Along with his team, Dr. Jonkers pioneered self-healing concrete using bacillus, a bacteria that produces limestone when exposed to water. Other researchers have since explored different healing agents like capsules and fibers.
Self-healing concrete can automatically repair small cracks when activated by water or other external conditions. This property significantly reduces the chances of deeper damage and prevents corrosion in reinforced concrete. It also extends the lifespan of concrete structures, reduces maintenance costs, minimizes material waste, and diminishes the need for frequent repairs.
But how does it actually work? The concrete mix contains either bacteria or capsules filled with healing agents that get released when cracks appear. The agents then harden to fill the cracks and prevent further damage. This makes the material ideal for use in infrastructure like bridges, tunnels, and roads, where the durability of concrete and its ability to self-repair are essential.
Construction company Heijmans Infra used self-healing concrete to build a pilot project, a railway underpass in Rijen, the Netherlands, for the first time.
4. 3D Graphene
3D graphene was first synthesized in 2017 by researchers at MIT. With the use of advanced 3D printing techniques, graphene flakes were compressed under heat and pressure to create lightweight, strong 3D structures. 3D graphene is incredibly strong, said to be 10 times stronger than steel, while maintaining a density that is just 5% of steel’s. It also has remarkable electrical and thermal properties, making it highly versatile.
Its combination of strength, low weight, and conductivity makes 3D graphene ideal for a range of applications from construction, aerospace, and electronics. It also has great potential for the use in future skyscraper designs up to 29870 meters, due to its strength-to-weight ratio. While full-scale projects are still in development, 3D graphene-enhanced concrete is being tested to improve the material’s strength and durability in construction.
5. Wool Bricks
Although it sounds like something we might have found about a couple years ago, wool bricks were invented back in 2010 by Carmen Galán and Carlos Rivera from the Schools of Architecture in the Universities of Seville (Spain) and Strathclyde (Glasgow, United Kingdom).
The researcher’s goal was to make brick production more sustainable, so they combined clay with wool fibers and natural polymers during the brick-making process. Wool bricks are stronger, more flexible, and dry faster than conventional bricks. They are also a zero-carbon product and use naturally available materials. This ultimately reduces the carbon footprint of construction.
This innovative construction material provides greater durability and better insulation than regular bricks, making them ideal for eco-friendly construction. They also dry faster during production, which reduces energy consumption. Wool bricks are primarily used in sustainable construction projects, particularly in regions where energy efficiency and low environmental impact are priorities.
6. Artificial Spider Silk
Researchers at Cambridge University developed Artificial spider silk around 2017. Their goal was to mimic the strength and elasticity of natural spider silk. Therefore, they synthesized artificial spider silk using a hydrogel, which is 98% water, along with silica and cellulose fibers.
Artificial spider silk is incredibly strong, flexible,lightweight, biodegradable, and stretchable with a durability far exceeding materials like concrete. It offers high strength with low weight, and since it is made primarily from water, it is an eco-friendly alternative to other synthetic materials.
High elasticity makes artificial spider silk ideal for multiple high-performance applications. It can be used in the creation of lightweight construction materials, acoustic panels, and in medical devices where durability and flexibility are required.
7. Power Generating Glass
Around 2010, the concept of power-generating glass popped up, but it wasn’t until 2016 that major strides were made. Particularly by researchers at Michigan State University, led by Richard Lunt, as they pioneered transparent solar panels by incorporating transparent solar concentrators into glass.
Although this power generating glass functions like regular glass, it has the advantage of capturing invisible ultraviolet and infrared light. It can then convert it into electricity without affecting transparency. This property helps reduce electricity consumption by generating clean energy and lowering a building’s carbon footprint. Architecturally speaking, it offers aesthetics and functionality.
This material can be used in windows, skylights, and facades. It is particularly ideal for energy-efficient buildings in urban environments. The Copenhagen International School features a façade made entirely of power-generating glass, showcasing its potential for large-scale application in energy-efficient buildings.
8. 3D-Printed Glass Bricks
As of recent MIT engineers Kaitlyn Becker and Michael Stern developed an impressively innovative construction material inspired by glass’s recyclability and its potential as a sustainable building material.
The process of making 3D-printed glass bricks starts with crushed glass bottles that are melted down inside a specialized furnace and then fed into the Glass 3D Printer 3. The printer models up the molten glass in precise layers, building up the figure-eight-shaped bricks from the ground up.
One of the biggest hurdles was ensuring that the glass bricks could withstand the structural demands of building construction. Don’t be tricked by the delicate fragility of glass because these bricks held up under pressures comparable to those endured by concrete blocks.
After the success of this experiment, the team looks to scale up this technology. They’re already planning to construct larger structures, starting with pavilions, to demonstrate the versatility and strength of the 3d-printed glass bricks.
