Coloured glass generates energy
Solar powered stained glass
Bloom, a freestanding 3D-printed cement pavilion, is made of 840 customised blocks Demonstrating potential
The first and largest powder-based 3D-printed cement structure has been built at a US university. Created to demonstrate the architec- tural potential of 3D printing, the freestanding pavilion – Bloom – is composed of 840 custom- ised blocks, measures roughly 12ft by 12ft, and is 9ft high. The University of California, Berkeley research team was led by Ronald Rael, asso- ciate professor of architecture, who developed a new type of iron oxide-free Portland cement polymer formulation which enabled the 3D printing. “We are mixing polymers with cement
and fibres to produce very strong, lightweight, high-resolution parts on readily available equip- ment; it’s a very precise, yet frugal technique,” said Rael. “This project is the genesis of a realistic, marketable process with the potential to transform the way we think about building a structure.” Siam Cement Group provided the Portland cement, while additional support and materials were provided by Emerging Objects, a startup company co-founded by Rael and Virginia San Fratello, and Entropy Resins.
CLAD-kit.com keyword: Siam Cement
Dutch designer Marjan van Aubel has created a stained glass window that doubles as a clean energy source. In the ‘Current Window’ project, coloured pieces of glass generate electricity from daylight, and can even harness diffused sunlight. The power is then sent to a USB port in the window ledge. The glass pieces are made of ‘dye sensitised solar cells’, which use the properties of colour to create an electrical current — just like photosynthesis in plants, according to van Aubel. As various shades of green chlorophyll absorb light, the coloured window panes harness energy.
CLAD-kit.com keyword: Aubel
Smart paving for Barcelona
Pollutant-absorbing pavements and ambient lighting will help turn a Barcelona bridge into a green urban plaza. Spanish architecture firm BCQ is upgrading the Sarajevo Bridge in the Catalonian capital in a bid to turn it into an attractive gateway to the city. The new pavement will use a photocatalytic concrete surface, a self-cleaning material that absorbs air pollutants, converting them into harmless substances. Applied to white or grey cement, the removed pollution is then washed away by the rain. Photo-luminescent elements within the concrete provide a source of ambient light, absorbing solar energy during the day and releasing it at night. The upgraded bridge will be energy self-sufficient, using solar panels that generate the energy consumed by new LED lighting.
CLAD-kit.com keyword: BCQ
Pollutant-absorbing pavements use self-cleaning photocatalytic concrete surfaces CLAD mag 2015 ISSUE 2
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