Revolution of construction material or building?<\/h2>\n
HEIKKI:\u00a0<\/strong>The\u00a0technique and materials developed will inevitably change the design language, building practices as well as the inner and outer essence of buildings.\u00a0All materials and manufacturing techniques have their own handprint from the point of view of the designer. If the designer, or in this case the architect, designs the product against this natural handprint, the result is often more expensive and somehow\u00a0contrived. For example, plastics were for a long time used to imitate products made from leather, amber\u00a0and wood, and now when plastics can be designed in their\u00a0own terms, products are more natural, honest\u00a0and significantly more affordable.<\/p>\n For example sharp edges would be, for\u00a0the printing technique in development, imitations of\u00a0mined rock or elemental substances.\u00a0Also keeping in mind cleaning, the edges belong\u00a0on a list of aspects in need of\u00a0critical\u00a0evaluation. Similarly different layer techniques such\u00a0as plasterboard-caulk-fabric wallpaper-wall surfaces, parquet, clinker, roof panel, multiple substance and layered solutions\u00a0feel very unfamiliar, when\u00a0geposite itself can at its best execute the demands of both\u00a0the outside and\u00a0inside, as well as thermal insulation and\u00a0damp spaces.<\/p>\n MERVI:<\/strong>\u00a0On the UIR project, the recipe of the material’s creation was heavily relied on the knowledge of\u00a0chemistry. We had to find those recycled\u00a0raw materials that had chemical components that fit\u00a0the chemical reactions of geposite.\u00a0On the other\u00a0hand, the chemical composition forced\u00a0us to give up the use of some sources of raw materials as binding agents\u00a0altogether. Certain challenges concerning raw materials that originate\u00a0from side streams had to be tackled with chemical reactions as well. However, by utilizing recycled raw materials, the significant environmental advantage\u00a0achieved makes\u00a0this product development\u00a0profitable.<\/p>\n Physics and environmental technology is in this development represented by how the printing technique can be utilized in producing functional substances.\u00a0We can for example print a cellular, three-dimensional layer of insulation that binds air between two\u00a0smooth wall surfaces\u00a0at the same time. Strength\u00a0can be implemented\u00a0with fibers that are currently being developed to use among the printed mass.<\/p>\n HEIKKI:<\/strong>\u00a0Strength is important in building, and it cannot be bargained with! Now when we talk about stone houses, we most often mean houses made with reinforced concrete. Concrete is actually the composite of cement, sand, water and steel. By replacing steel with cellulose or other natural fibers, the structure can be expected to be just as strong, yet warmer, lighter, more breathable\u00a0and very easily recyclable. In addition, cellulose, basalt and certain glass fibers don’t rust, so they don’t have to be protected\u00a0with a five centimeter layer of plaster. Also from an environmental point of view, the role of steel in concrete building is often forgotten by experts as well: It represents about two thirds of building costs, raises carbon footprints and is in recycling a separately collected item. As such, steel does recycle around the world commendably!<\/p>\n According to my vision, the new geopolymer composite strengthened with natural fibers combined with the printing technique combines the best qualities of wood and rock. Geposite\u00a0can after use be either returned to the process for recycled structures\u00a0or used safely to enhance the ground. Circular economy at its best?<\/p>\n MERVI:<\/strong>\u00a0Geopolymer and mineral aggregate mixtures\u00a0that utilize it as a binding agent\u00a0are already known and deemed appropriate: their history goes all the way back to the 70s. The materials just have taken their time before landing to Finland.<\/p>\n Similarly also the utilization of side stream materials in the manufacturing industry has taken its time. Some have used them for a long time though: Plastic side streams are utilized in Durat\u00ae\u00a0solid surface materials\u00a0and porcelain mixtures are used in Tulikivi furnaces.\u00a0Yet side streams are not yet competed over.\u00a0This year that has definitely increased, and we will for sure see more products containing recycled materials in the near future, provided that productization is succesfully\u00a0taken into consideration in legislation.\u00a0<\/p>\n HEIKKI:<\/strong>\u00a0Construction is full of different norms, rules and standards that at their core secure a homogenous, user friendly\u00a0and safe building. Many think that this “jungle of rules” has become a force that slows down the development of the field. For example CLT (Cross Laminated Timber) was\u00a0developed to its current condition somewhere in the mid 90s and only now is it arriving\u00a0to the markets.\u00a0<\/p>\n Technically, printed geopolymer composite materials\u00a0strengthened with fibers could be utilized in the\u00a0construction industry\u00a0in a few years, but proving that they fit into the norms as well as coming up with new norms and norms\u00a0that standardize the field will probably take the same amount of time than it did for\u00a0CLT, meaning 15-25 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n Before that, probably many applications that are far\u00a0more demanding will be seen in markets, such as grills, crucibles, flue gas scrubbers, street furniture, different poles and pylons as well as firewalls that isolate fire and sound of the automotive industry, and I wouldn’t find\u00a0ballistic structures such as special structures concerning nuclear safety and space technology too demanding either.<\/p>\n JUHA:\u00a0<\/strong>There are plenty of norms, sometimes even frustratingly many, and the human mind\u00a0cannot always\u00a0fathom everything. In construction I kind of understand the need. Think about aluminum cement and balconies that were made with it that have since collapsed. Nowadays that substance could perhaps be used in more supporting structures, but if the risk exists, it must be acknowledged.\u00a0<\/p>\n Looking at the near future, less regulated products mentioned by Heikki should be tested, so a long-term testing could be initiated. If and when successes were made, solutions that utilize geopolymers would raise more interest elsewhere as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n As a former ceramic chemist I am drawn to those fiery products. A classic geopolymer can withstand more than a thousand degrees of heat, similarly to feldspars\u00a0that are used as raw materials in porcelain masses. Nevertheless, porcelain’s heat resistence is easily a couple hundred degrees more compared to feldspar.\u00a0\u00a0\u2013 What, why doesn’t it melt earlier? Well because it for the most part consists of other fillers, that determine the termic duration. These can always be tuned a little bit, if there’s a unlimited amount\u00a0to choose from.\u00a0<\/p>\n Now to get back to the revolution of urban building in the\u00a0UIR project…<\/p>\n JUHA:\u00a0<\/strong>At the moment the project is looking pretty good. Usable raw materials have been learned to recognize as well as what chemistry they obey and to what extend. Also the chemistry that makes them angry is now detected, which is actually really important.<\/p>\n Apilan pienell\u00e4 printterill\u00e4 on saatu tulostettua useampaakin testimuotoa. Alkuaika meni opetellessa ja yl\u00f6sp\u00e4in skaalatessakin on ollut pient\u00e4 s\u00e4\u00e4t\u00f6\u00e4. Lujuudet on tulosteissa olleet samoilla ruippeilla valujen kanssa eli puristuslujuuden suhteen puhutaan rakennebetonin numeroista, taivutuslujuuden suhteen betonia paremmista. Lienee siis geopolymeeri sitke\u00e4mp\u00e4\u00e4 kuin sementti.<\/p>\n Multiple test structures have been printed with Apila’s small printer. In the beginning\u00a0a lot of learning was required\u00a0and upside down scaling has acquired\u00a0some small\u00a0adjustments. Strength in the prints have been at the same level as with moldings, so concerning compressions resistance\u00a0we are talking about the same numbers as in construction concrete and concerning flexular strength better than concrete. Geopolymer thus must be more resilient than cement.<\/p>\n Actually, with a pretty good conscience I will put a picture of the structures below. This will be great someday.<\/p>\n HEIKKI:<\/strong>\u00a0Because I’m actually a “plastics man”, I have a hard time detaching from the world of molds and modularity. The hardest part was and still is to understand that the goal of the project of printing a moldable geopolymer composite doesn’t mean “changing from\u00a0cement to geopolymer”, but it rather\u00a0creates a real chance to proceed from “environmental art” based on manual labor to semi-industrial processes. Even in a way, that\u00a0individual solutions don’t necessary lift up the price of the end product. If this is not about a revolution, it is at least about mitigating “hand” and\u00a0“carbon footprints” radically…<\/p>\n MERVI:\u00a0<\/strong>This has been a spectacular project and in our hands we have as spectacular\u00a0material and techinque. Future scenarios indicate that\u00a03D printing will be a significant part of the manufacturing industry in the future. It is important to remember however, that the future in question is not “either – or”, but we need both traditional and new\u00a0technique and materials. For example in building: a wooden house will always have a foundation made of crushed\u00a0stone aggregate\u00a0while a stone house will always include wood.<\/p>\n The most important aspect of the project for me is that we are able to utilize those\u00a0local material streams\u00a0that would otherwise end up as piles, while at the same time elsewhere natural substances are dug up for use. A material-wise use of natural resources\u00a0is what circular economy should strive for in every way.\u00a0<\/p>\n Revolution of circular economy? MERVI:\u00a0The basis of the\u00a0Urban Infra Revolution (UIR)\u00a0project is to develop more sustainable and ecological materials from local side streams to\u00a0future building. The goal is to manufacture material that can be, vernacularly, 3D printed to its final form, so molds are no longer needed. At the same time, concerning the printing technique, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPhysics, chemistry, design or environmental technology?<\/h2>\n
Futurology or near future?<\/h2>\n
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