Exterior Technology in Residential Construction
Technology has been growing in the construction industry at a very fast pace. Residential homes and commercial buildings are both seeing the advantages of these new technologies. It seems that commercial buildings are ahead of residential homes when it comes to the technologies that are being implemented in new construction projects. Generally, the commercial industry can handle the higher costs that comes with the new technology, as such commercial buildings seemed to be more advanced than residential homes. Some of the newest technology being implemented in new commercial buildings are geared toward sustainability of the structure as the world is going greener. Below we will look at a few of these items as well as the impact they have on the environment.
Self-Healing Concrete
In general, concrete is guaranteed to do three things; get hard, turn grey, and crack. With the new technology of Self-healing concrete, the cracks will repair themselves. One form of this technology involves including capsules of sodium silicate in the concrete mixture. When a crack forms the capsule will activate and the crack will be filled, the gel like substance that is produced will seal the crack and get hard to match the concrete. Another form of this new technology involves bacteria being added to the mixture of concrete. The bacteria react to cracks in a similar way to the sodium silicate capsules. One advantage these technologies bring to the environment is that there are less repairs needed for the concrete. Concrete manufacturing has been said to emit up to 5% of the carbon emissions in the country. Eliminating the need to fix concrete cracks with more concrete has a huge impact on the environment.
Smart Blocks
Another relatively new idea that we are seeing in the commercial construction sector is Smart Blocks. These blocks are like the old school brick and CMU blocks we are used to seeing structures being built with. However, these blocks have much greater thermal energy control and have a huge impact on the building’s energy consumption. These blocks are made so they stack together like Legos, so the installation time is reduced. Some of these blocks are made with existing passageways for electrical and mechanical building components, providing another way that utilizing the Smart Blocks can help with cutting down the construction schedule. The Smart Blocks are better on the environment from manufacturing to installation and throughout the life of the building.
3-D Printed Buildings
3-D printing as a whole is still in the infantile stages as the world continues to learn more about and improve the technology daily. 3-D printing being used in construction is an even newer concept. There are now companies that specialize in building only 3-D printed buildings. The process of 3-D printing a building is great for the environment as it reduces construction waste and CO2 emissions. These buildings are also energy efficient as they are built with great insulating properties. The construction timeline of completing the exterior building is greatly reduced as well, thus speeding up the schedule as well as utilizing less equipment run time. Look to see 3-D printing being utilized more and more in commercial construction and quickly being utilized in residential homes as well.
The three above items are all great forms of Sustainable Architecture, where from the beginning of the design phase the plan is to be as efficient as possible both for the construction timeline and the life of the building. There are many more exterior technology items being utilized in the commercial building industry and Arkiay Development Corporation stays up to date with these new practices. Contact us today to begin the conversation that will help turn your ideas into a reality.