Concrete, steel, wood, and masonry are among the various building materials used in the construction business. Every material has different attributes such as weight, strength, durability, and cost, making it suited for different purposes. The construction materials are chosen based on their cost and ability to withstand the loads and strains operating on the structure. Architects and builders collaborate closely with their clients to choose the sort of construction and materials that will be used in each project.

In India, the construction sector now incorporates a wide range of locally derived materials. This is greatly dependent on the type of construction, which can range from mud huts known as ‘Kuccha’ to sophisticated town infrastructures constructed with high-quality materials. The industry’s most significant issue, however, is how to source materials are sourced. 

Over the last few decades, sand mining, open fly ash plants, and a disregard for environmental norms have had a significant influence on the ecosystem. While the civil engineering and construction industry has grown rapidly in recent years, the country continues to face significant issues because of the costly and polluting nature of building materials. River systems have been harmed by issues such as unlawful sand mining. Climate disasters such as Hurricane Sandy have been caused by densely concentrated city development.

Concrete

Concrete is a critical component and is used in a variety of residential and commercial structures. Because of a chemical process known as hydration, it solidifies and hardens after being mixed with water and placed. Other building materials are held together by it. Aggregate, cement, small stones, sand, gravel, and water are mixed to make this material, which is widely used in the building industry. All the components combine to form a stone-like substance.

Hydraulic cement-based concrete was devised by the Romans. It was enhanced and popularized in the modern world by the British. The Pantheon in Rome, which boasts a 42-meter-diameter poured concrete dome, is one of the best specimens of Roman architecture that has remained to this day.

Translucent Concrete

More than its amazing illumination, the concrete construction is recognized for its stability. That is, until translucent concrete became available on the market. This is the best construction material innovation for decoration reasons.

Glass fibre optical strands are used to make translucent concrete, which results in a substantial yet sheer block. LitraCon, sometimes known as translucent concrete, is a type of concrete that can be used for flooring and pavement. The optical fibres make up only 4% of the transparent concrete mixture, according to research and testing. As a result, it demonstrates that concrete blocks constructed from this material can nevertheless sustain load-bearing walls.

Bendable Concrete

Because of the microscopic fibres that make up 2% of its composition, the new fiber–reinforced flexible concrete is 500 times more resistant to breaking than normal concrete. In civil engineering, there are novel construction materials.

When the concrete bends, the fibres within it glide within the concrete, giving it enough to prevent breakage. Furthermore, because this concrete has a substantially longer life expectancy, it will cost less in the long term.

Concrete Canvas

It’s a cement-impregnated fabric that hardens with water to form a thin, waterproof, and fireproof concrete coating. It is just necessary to add water on a roll in this form of concrete. For situations with limited access or where heavy plant equipment is not available, CC is supplied in man-portable rolls. CC is useable for 2 hours after being moistened and hardens to 80 percent strength in 24 hours.

SensiTile

Consider how your kitchen floor twinkles with a bright trail that takes you through the darkness as you walk over it to fetch something from the refrigerator. If you have SensiTile, this is now available. Concrete acrylic fiber-optic channels that transfer light from one point to another are inserted in this sort of tile. The light channels flash with a randomized, glittering effect as a person walks across Terrazzo’s surface. Tiles may be used for flooring, baths, and even ceilings, allowing you to have glittering lights follow you throughout the house.

Electrified Wood

You might never have to deal with the tangle of cables that come with lights for home décor purposes again. The Wood European manufacturing company has material that can be used to build tables and chairs with an integrated power source.

They put two metal layers between the wood of the furniture in that arrangement, allowing an electrical current to run through the entire item. 12-volt electricity is delivered to the metal layers through one connector, while lighting and other devices can be connected through the other. However, there is some uncertainty whether this furniture will work with all electrical outlets, but we’re happy with any piece of furniture that means we won’t have to.

Liquid Granite

Liquid granite, according to its inventor, has the power to totally replace cement in concrete. Liquid Granite is a lightweight, load–bearing substance constructed of recycled materials that has the same load–bearing capability as cement. Cement and concrete have negative environmental effects, while this substance does not. Liquid Granite comprises 30 to 70% recycled material and consumes around a third of the cement used in precast concrete. 

As a result, liquid granite has a low carbon impact and is also fire resistant. It can withstand temperatures of up to 1,100 degrees Celsius without losing structural integrity. It does not, like concrete, explode at high temperatures.

3D-printed bioplastics

In the building sector, waste is a huge issue. According to several studies, the amount of building materials that end up in a skip range from 20% to 30%, signifying a huge environmental and economic burden.

Aectual, a Dutch company, believes their bioplastic constructions can make a significant difference in this area. Large 3D printers are used by the company to create intricate and sophisticated designs, ranging from floors to façades, stairs, and even complete structures. Apart from employing 3D printers to construct the structures, the usage of bioplastics is novel in terms of sustainability and waste reduction.

The bioplastics used by the company’s 3D printers are manufactured from 100 percent renewable plant-based polymers, and the printers can also use recycled plastics, according to the company. If the printer makes a mistake, the plastic may simply be shredded and returned to the mix, resulting in zero waste construction projects — at least in theory.

Homeostatic facades

We’ve all worked in an environment where the conditions, whether it’s excessive heat or excessive light, may become suffocating over time. The idea behind homeostatic facades is that the material used to construct them responds to the outside conditions in order to help generate the best possible interior conditions. 

Both sides of the silver-coated ribbon formed of dielectric material (a polymer that reacts to electric impulses) wrapped in a double glass façade reflect light and transport electricity throughout the material’s surface, allowing it to adapt to the building’s most critical circumstances.

Structures Built From Unusual Materials

The Great Wall of China

Scientists at Zhejiang University in China were studying the composition of the mortar used to construct the Great Wall when they discovered that something odd had been added to the typical mixture of lime (limestone cooked to a high temperature) and water: sticky rice. It was the world’s first composite mortar, as it included both organic and inorganic materials. 

The scientists evaluated the quality of mortar prepared with and without sticky rice in their testing and discovered that “sticky rice-lime mortar has more stable physical qualities, has more mechanical storage, and is more compatible, which makes it a viable repair mortar for old brickwork.” One of the Ming dynasty’s greatest innovations was the use of sticky rice as a construction component, which aided their structures.

Sticky rice is more than just a staple of China’s traditional cuisine. It can also be turned into a sort of mortar that can construct super-strong city walls, pagodas, temples, and even the Great Wall of China. Sticky rice mortar has been dubbed “the ideal material for rebuilding old buildings” because of its effectiveness.

Because sticky rice mortar is extremely sturdy, it was used to construct many ancient structures that are still standing today. These structures have withstood earthquakes and a variety of other natural disasters that would normally have eroded the structures.

The Palacio de Sal in Bolivia

The Palacio de Sal Resort is a totally salt-built hotel on the border of the Salar de Uyuni Plain. This incredible building was built with almost 1 million 14-inch compacted salt grain blocks. There are 16 rooms in this hotel, and the walls, tables, and mattresses are all made of salt. As a result, it has been listed on a number of “World’s Most Unusual Hotels” lists.

Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew in Thailand

In Thailand, there is a 20-building temple complex that’s composed of over 1.5 million Heineken and Chang beer bottles giving quite a unique look to this place of worship. This building well exceeds the stereotype of 99 bottles of beer on the wall.

Tourner autour de Ried, Muttersholtz France

Why shouldn’t we use corn to build buildings, because we use it for almost everything else? With the “Tourner autour de Ried,” France appears to be one step ahead. This corn on the cob house was built in a circular shape to allow sunshine to seep through the day.

Lego House in Dorking, England

For years, Legos has been one of the most popular toys among youngsters, and we’ve extended our obsession into adulthood. James May, a British television broadcaster, had the two-story residence built out of almost 3.3 million Lego bricks, but it had to be demolished after it became too expensive to transport from the English winery it was built on to a nearby theme park.

We’ve seen a sequence of building material advances throughout history in the construction business. These materials affected the way we construct today and influenced some of the greatest architectural accomplishments, from the use of durable concrete in ancient structures to the manufacturing of steel for bridges and skyscrapers. While some materials, such as concrete and marble, have simply changed over time, there are fresh cutting-edge materials on the horizon.

So, what’s the driving force behind these breakthroughs? Despite its expansion, the building industry is confronted with a variety of issues. The sector struggles to keep up with demand while sustaining output due to calamities such as fire and high expenses, as well as environmental problems and inefficiencies. Building projects utilize 50% of our natural resources, resulting in increased costs, longer building delays, and squandered materials.