![]() The 26-inch-wide panels come in 8 to 12-foot lengths and retail from about $22 to $33 each, depending upon length. Available colors include clear, translucent white, and smoke. In addition, properly supported polycarbonate panels can bear loads of 115 pounds per square foot. Not only does the polycarbonate glow in the sun, it absorbs 99% of the sun’s damaging UV rays. They can handle hot, direct sun and a broad range of temperatures-from 270 degrees F. These sturdy, attractive panels are a far cry from the green corrugated fiberglass panels that covered outdoor sheds and patios 20 years ago. Polycarbonate panels, a clear or translucent thermoplastic polymer, perform great in this kind of situation. Then, during a visit to a Lowe’s store, we discovered corrugated polycarbonate panels. The deck nestles in a nook between three walls, so no vertical supports would be necessary for the patio roof. "Steel Fiber Reinforced Self-Compacting Concrete Incorporating Class F Fly Ash." International Journal of Engineering Science and Technology.This deck was actually the perfect configuration for adding a cover because support existed on three sides. "Casting Concrete in a Decorative Light." (April 6, 2012) ![]() "Nbank of Beorgia, Tbilisi." (April 6, 2012) "The Bank of Georgia's translucent concrete lined headquarters." SmartPlanet. "Concrete you can see through." SmartPlanet. "Heavyweight transparency - Light Transmitting Concrete." Gizmag. "Concrete casts new light in dull rooms.". Meanwhile over in eastern Europe, the newly renovated Bank of Georgia headquarters building features almost 300 square meters (3,229 square feet) of translucent concrete made by German manufacturer LUCEM, including LED-lit wall panels. By day, the square's sidewalk looks as though it were made of ordinary concrete, but the translucent surface lights up at night when the colored lights beneath the surface illuminate. One of LiTraCon's first public uses, for example, was in a public square in Stockholm, Sweden. Since its development, translucent concrete has been used to create partition walls, stairs, decorative tiles and even lamps. While the glass and plastic fibers imbedded in the material make it cost-prohibitive in many large-scale construction projects, LiTraCon and other types of light transmitting concrete are finding their way into a smattering of structures around the globe. With its light-transmitting properties, however, translucent concrete has the power to potentially transform the interior of concrete buildings, making them appear fresh, open and spacious. Now you know what translucent concrete is, but how - exactly - is it used? Read on to find out.ĭrab, dull and depressing, concrete has long been associated with penitentiary-like office buildings, ugly patios and unfinished basements. The parallel fiber strands create two distinct grain-type surfaces: one bright and the other dark. The concrete is then cut into individual blocks (the smallest are about 48 x 14 inches, or 1.22 x. Here, the manufacturer hand-molds large pieces of concrete, embedding thousands of strands of optic fiber in the material at the same time. The light transmitting material is largely believed to have been invented by Hungarian architect Aron Losonczi, who began developing pre-fabricated translucent concrete blocks he called LiTraCon ( light transmitting concrete) in 2004, just three years after graduating from Budapest's Technical University. Despite this clarity, however, translucent concrete retains its stout, crack resistant, load-bearing quality Through the resulting translucent panels, a viewer can clearly see the outline of an object on the opposite side of the concrete. ![]() The fibers are mixed with traditional concrete components - water, sand and cement - and are distributed evenly throughout the surface. The fiber strands, which attract and transmit both natural and artificial light, make up about 5 percent of a translucent concrete block's surface volume. Translucent concrete isn't exactly "see-through," but the new building material draws on optical fibers to transmit light through it while retaining the density that has literally made concrete the cornerstone of buildings around the world. ![]() While Marley's short stint as a factory worker yielded this gloomy look at life surrounded by concrete, the traditionally dim building blocks are getting a makeover designed to finally let some light shine in. That is, of course, except for a lack of sunlight. Slum life, political strife, an absentee father there's little that could keep reggae superstar and eternal optimist Bob Marley down. ![]()
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