What Contractors Need to Know About Volatile Materials Prices
The COVID-19 pandemic seemingly spawned a topsy-turvy market for raw construction materials, but this Q&A reveals that pre-pandemic factors are also to blame
Can bamboo construction replace timber and steel?
Bamboo ticks many of the boxes of an eco-friendly material, so some researchers are testing the material’s commercial viability in construction
The ancient — and unusual — building material attempting a comeback: hemp
Hempcrete is a bio-composite material that can serve as an alternative to traditional lime, reducing the carbon impact of the resulting concrete mixture while improving its insulator-like and energy-retaining properties
What Is the Price of Building Materials? The 2021 Building Materials Shortage
COVID-19, Brexit and booming demand are combining to drive up prices f or the essential materials the U.K.’s construction sector desperately needs
Will builders embrace mushroom-based bricks?
Emerging research on fungi’s unique properties as a highly renewable material points to a possible future in construction
Can 3D Printing With Local Soils Offer A Low-Carbon Alternative to Concrete? Part 1
Without the need for long-distance transportation or carbon-intensive production techniques, one research lab is experimenting with local soils that may offer a greener path forwards
Soil Construction: where — and how— building with clay thrives
As concrete’s prevalence continues to pose a danger to the long-term health of the environment, can clay- and soil-based materials serve as a viable option for builders?
Translucent wood could give architects a new design element
A lab in Stockholm, Sweden, is using nanotechnology to reimagine lighting with a wood composite that’s translucent, load-bearing and an advance in energy efficiency
What Contractors Should Consider Before Using Nanomaterials
Nanomaterials are becoming increasingly common in construction, but along with the benefits come risks you should discuss with your suppliers
Bringing Building Materials to Life — Literally
Can integrating microorganisms in brick or concrete make the materials self-healing? The Living Materials Laboratory at the University of Colorado aims to find out
