A new type of cement has been developed, which by bonding special resins into a newly conceived mix, allows manufacturing solid insulated yet light transmitting construction panels. The new material has been developed by Italcementi Group to meet the project needs of the building that will represent Italy in China during the six months of the International Exhibition.
The new product developed at the Bergamo-based laboratories ensures transparency through innovative cement/admixtures mix design. The excellent flow properties of the mix allow bonding a plastic resin matrix into a final panel that combines the typical robustness of cementitious materials and the possibility of filtering light both inwards and outwards. The resins – explain the researchers – if adequately inserted in the cementitious material, have higher transparency performance than the optical fibres experimentally used in this field, but also cost much less allowing for their application on a large scale. The transparent effect is more evident when it is dark and, seen from the outside, the building will allow the interior lights to filter through while, from inside, during the day, it will show the changes in the levels of daylight. Future applications of this material may encompass its use as an architectural component with diversified, integrable functions, such as, for example, internal lighting (shading/light diffusion techniques).
Contact: Italcementi Tel: +39 035 396 111; Fax: +39 035 39 6619 Email: info@italcementi.it; Website: www.italcementi.it