How did it all start?
Construction have been an essential component to human evolution and the standard of living. In fact, materials commonly used in construction today can date their beginnings to as far back as 400 BC.
A variety of modernized construction material options have recently become available due to ongoing research and support in innovative technologies. Without them, one can only wonder where infrastructure, including your future home, would be today.
Very initially, buildings were made of perishable materials like leaves, branches and animal hides. With invention: stone, clay and timber were used. Slowly came the age of bricks and concrete. Then, with industrial revolution, came metals and steel. Today, we see buildings made of bricks, concrete, wood, steel and glass.
An ideal and modern construction material will aim to maintain structural strength while reducing its impact on the environment. In addition, modern construction materials must be able to adapt to various weather and site conditions.
Below are numbered a few:
Historically, North America and Europe were covered in expansive forests and rich foliage which inspired the construction of many timber-framed homes. Nations worldwide were taking advantage of this natural resource that appeared to be endless. Wood today remains relatively inexpensive and has been an essential material in building development worldwide. Research into various treatments of wood are being explored in order to prevent moisture infiltration.
Wood has a higher insulation rating than either steel or plastic as a result of its natural cellular structure. This means that homes and buildings require less energy to maintain heating and cooling, plus wood can help regulate humidity levels to a small degree.
The Romans were the earliest found users of concrete, and its ability to remain workable and strong has made it an incredible versatile material with room for innovation. In 1849, a marriage of two valuable materials, steel and concrete, saw reinforced concrete as invented. Reinforced concrete has been used in bridges, institutions and in transportation super highways since.
Concrete is a mix of cement, water, fine and coarse aggregates. As cement production is very tolling on the environment, methods on making concrete more environmentally friendly are continuously being developed. For example, certain demolished concrete, can be reused as coarse and fine aggregate for a new concrete mix. Researchers are also investigating the use of CO2 rich environments for curing concrete, in order to increase its strength while absorbing CO2 emissions.
Steel is an exciting material due to its ability to be customized without compromising strength and structural stability. There are two types of steel used in building construction: hot rolled and cold formed. Cold formed steel is used in smaller projects, such as residential ones, whereas hot rolled steel is used in heavier capital infrastructure projects.
Cold-formed steel does not require as much energy and heat as hot-rolled. It is lightweight but still high in strength and stiffness. It is also a modern solution for low-cost and high-production quantity steel. The benefits of using it for construction are endless from a manufacturing perspective to a structural perspective. Steel is termite proof, completely recyclable and non-combustible. It is also extremely customizable thanks to design software which allows clients to take advantage of having complete design freedom.
These are only a few materials used in construction industry.
Now get ready, because we are about to go on a world tour of the most monumental feats of construction in history!