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GREENBUILD 2011: Transparent concrete makes its North American debut at Greenbuild

GREENBUILD 2011: Transparent concrete makes its North American debut at Greenbuild


By By BD+C Staff | October 7, 2011
Precast, transparent concrete panels can brighten any room and allow people to see images and objects behind them.

What if cement could light up a room? i.light precast, transparent concrete panels can brighten any room and allow people to see images and objects behind them.

Making its North American debut at Greenbuild, two i.light precast concrete walls, manufactured by ESSROC Italcementi Group, showcased the innovation of cement and the endless possibilities for interior and exterior applications by builders, designers and architects.

The transparency in cement is achieved via an innovative technology developed by Italcementi Group’s R&D department, in which a new dry ready-mixed product that allows bonding a light-transmitting plastic resin matrix is used. This allows the manufacturing of solid insulated concrete construction panels, which transmit light, both natural and artificial. The panels are guaranteed to last as long as a panel made from traditional cement material.

The result of the transparent panels is simply brilliant as they create a sequence of lights and shadows in constant evolution throughout the day. The transparent effect is more evident when it is dark and seen from the outside. The panels allow interior lights to filter through, from inside. During the day, exterior light filters in, showing the changes in the levels of daylight. The capability to transmit light can also make it possible to use less electricity, potentially contributing to energy savings. BD+C

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