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Translucent Concrete? Why Not?12-27-07 | News

Translucent Concrete? Why Not?




''Beauty may not be found within the objects themselves, but in the half-light, the play of shadows that evolves between the objects.'' ?EUR??,,????'?????<
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Photos courtesy of Andreas Bittis

Translucent concrete is a combination of optical fibers and fine concrete.

Thousands of fibers run side-by-side transmitting light between the two surfaces of each element. Because of their small size the fibers blend into the concrete becoming a component of the material like small pieces of ballast. In theory, a wall constructed out of translucent concrete blocks can be a few feet thick as the fibers work almost without any loss in light for up to 50 or sixty feet. Moreover, the blocks are load bearing and provide the same effect with both natural and artificial light. The glass fibers lead the light using light points between the wall surfaces. Shadows on the lighter side will appear with sharp outlines on the darker one Even the colors remain the same. The general effect is that thickness and weight of this concrete wall disappears. Since the optical fiber content is only four percent, the blocks have the same technical data as the concrete used for them. The technique for making them can differ according to the needs of the project?EUR??,,????'?????<

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