Tag: building materials

Impact Lab > building materials
3D Printer, Architecture, Green Friendly, Housing

High-tech hemp homes: Australia’s 3D-printed green building revolution

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A Dutch town will host the world’s first liveable 3D-homes, with residents set to move in next year. Photo: Project Milestone

From 3D-printed buildings to hemp-panelled homes, a hi-tech green building revolution is under way across the globe.

An Australian company has revealed plans to roll out 3D-printed hemp homes, thanks to pioneering technology that could transform residential and commercial building.

Positioning itself at the forefront of Australia’s growing hemp industry, Perth-based bio-technology company Mirreco is pursuing a vision of a world where “the dire consequences of global-warming have been averted because we have seized the opportunity to act now”.

Continue reading… “High-tech hemp homes: Australia’s 3D-printed green building revolution”

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Climate Change, Ecological Products, Engineering

Scientists create artificial wood that is water – and fire resistant

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The synthetic material is faster to make than natural wood.

A new lightweight substance is as strong as wood yet lacks its standard vulnerabilities to fire and water.

To create the synthetic wood, scientists took a solution of polymer resin and added a pinch of chitosan, a sugar polymer derived from the shells of shrimp and crabs. They freeze-dried the solution, yielding a structure filled with tiny pores and channels supported by the chitosan. Then they heated the resin to temperatures as high as 200 degrees Celsius to cure it, forging strong chemical bonds.

Continue reading… “Scientists create artificial wood that is water – and fire resistant”

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Breakthrough Thinking, Great New Product, Science & Technology News

‘Melting’ Drywall Could Reduce The Need For Air Conditioning

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Acrylic microcapsules are filled with a paraffin wax that can absorb heat from buildings.

Building materials that absorb heat during the day and release it at night, eliminating the need for air-conditioning in some climates, will soon be on the market in the United States. The North Carolina company National Gypsum is testing drywall sheets–the plaster panels that make up the walls in most new buildings–containing capsules that absorb heat to passively cool a building. The capsules, made by chemical giant BASF, can be incorporated into a range of construction materials and are already found in some products in Europe.

 

Continue reading… “‘Melting’ Drywall Could Reduce The Need For Air Conditioning”

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