The cement needed to make concrete – the most widely used man-made material – is a major source of global emissions. Researchers are working on a green replacement that could transform the sector.
An image from the New Art Gallery of Western Australia, Structural Engineering Brochure, 1979.
Public Works Department of WA
Often described by critics as dehumanising, depressing and oppressive, Brutalism is having a moment – especially on social media.
Increasing heat in Sydney and other Australian cities highlights the urgent need to apply our knowledge of how to create liveable low-carbon cities.
Taras Vyshnya/Shutterstock
The research has been done. The evidence is in. We know how to create cities that are sustainable, liveable and affordable. But we have yet to apply that knowledge widely across Australian cities.
The damage to the dam holding back a reservoir just a mile from the nearest town downriver should focus minds on ensuring civil infrastructure is maintained.
Patching concrete sidewalks, roads and bridges after every season of snow and ice is expensive. A team of engineers is now testing a new approach harnessing bacteria to patch the potholes and cracks.
The only material we use more than concrete is water.
Shutterstock
‘Bendable concrete’ is not an oxymoron. Mimicking designs found in nature, engineers are making concrete that gives under stress without shattering – an advance that could improve US infrastructure.
Could a secret ingredient make crumbling concrete a thing of the past?
m_e_mccarron
Congrui Jin, Binghamton University, State University of New York
Adding a bit of fungus to the initial ingredient list might be one way to endow concrete with the ability to fill in any bits of damage that occur, without the need for human intervention.
With some tweaks to the recipe, cement and concrete can be made kinder to the planet.
Postman Photos/Shutterstock.com
Cement has a huge greenhouse footprint, largely because the chemical process by which it is made releases carbon dioxide. But there are several different ways for cement to green up its act.
The new One World Trade Center building, made with high-performance concrete.
John D. Morris
Tragedies involving building collapses prompt structural engineers to figure out what happened, and how to prevent it from recurring.
Illustration of pressure sensing bacteria in soils from the ‘Computational Colloids Project’.
Carolina Ramirez-Figuroa, Luis Hernan and Martyn Dade-Robertson
Reinforced concrete is everywhere. But unlike plain concrete, which can last for centuries, reinforced concrete can deteriorate in decades as the reinforcing bars succumb to rust.
The vehicle-based microwave system, making the streets safe again.
Zanko et al., 2016
Crews patch them, just to see these recurrent potholes come back again. New research focuses on microwaves zapping patches to make a more permanent pothole fix.