10 years, 4 months ago

For Greener Skyscrapers, Basic Building Materials Are Being Reinvented

For Greener Skyscrapers, Basic Building Materials Are Being Reinvented Enlarge this image toggle caption Courtesy of Lend Lease Courtesy of Lend Lease In a head-spinning step, a handful of researchers from Cambridge, England, are experimenting with one of man's oldest building materials — the kind from trees — instead of steel as the primary structure for big buildings. Scientists are making inroads by studying certain building materials, including wood and concrete, at the molecular level. For now, it's in the design stage, but by better understanding the molecular and cellular structure of wood, professor Michael Ramage and his team from the university's department of architecture say they are certain they can strengthen the materials of a wooden building at the weakest points — where the giant timber slabs connect at walls and floors. While cement combines different materials in various ratios, no one had studied the material's differing molecular structures in detail until Pellenq came along.

NPR
Building Materials His Team Concrete Wood Timber Pellenq Skyscrapers Basic
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4 years, 11 months ago

Construction Causes Major Pollution. Here's How We Can Build Better.

Huff Post
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