Last night, I and two of my co-workers went to BCI Equinox Convention on behalf of the presence of our company manager. The said convention showcases the different innovations in the fields of Architecture and Engineering. In this mini gathering, we were able to see the modern technologies being applied to simple construction materials such as concrete and wood.
But before arriving at the place, we really had no idea what was waiting for us there. We even thought that what we are about to witness was some kind of networking. Pawer!
Upon arrival, I was quite surprised to see that it was an exhibit of different engineering innovations, as what I've mentioned lately. Architects and Engineers of different huge companies were also there to witness the current trends of the construction industry. There were about ten exhibits present but I would just focus on two of the most interesting exhibits I saw.
Conwood: Concrete + Wood
This new technology aims to develop an eco-friendly replacement of wood products in the construction industry for it is undeniable that wood still has a high market demand despite the scarcity of its current supply. Conwood is made 60% Portland cement, 10% cellulose fiber (the same material used for carton manufacturing), and 20% fillers.
Conwood can be used both outdoors and indoors in almost all structural and architectural members such as eaves, ceilings, walls, flooring, fencing, and decorations. This product has properties that is somewhat between concrete and wood. It is highly flexible, termite-free, weather resistant, easy to install, fire resistant, yet retains the beauty and texture of a natural wood.
Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) / Lightweight Concrete
Lightweight concrete blocks are now widely used especially in high-rise buildings because of its insubstantial weight advantage. This is commonly used in walling as the replacement for CHB or concrete hollow blocks. It can also be used for floor and roof panels, cladding (façade) panels and lintels.
Since the weight of the building is one big factor of the integrity of the structures, most contractors are opting to minimize the weight loads of the structure as much as possible. Just imagine, one cubic meter of concrete weighs as much as 50 sacks of 50 kg rice! It would be quite heavy to handle especially for tall and huge buildings not to mention the fixtures and moving loads they have to carry.
To aid this dilemma, Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC), a precast, foam concrete building material was invented to provide structure, insulation, and fire- and mold-resistance for the construction industry. This is produced using aggregates that are not larger than sand, mixed with quartz sand, and calcined gypsum using a lime mineral and/or cement as its binding agent.
There are many advantages in using lightweight concrete including better workability, improved thermal efficiency, environmentally friendly, fire resistance, and non-toxicity, but the greatest advantage of it is its lightweight properties, toning down 20% of concrete’s weight. The 50 sacks of rice having 50 kilograms each will be trimmed down to 10 sacks per cubic meter of concrete.
Now, let’s go back to the exhibit itself, did I mention that food and drinks are flowing everywhere?
Jeez, we were dead hungry that time and I was thankful enough to have something to satisfy my famished little stomach. A few of the viands tasted a bit off, but generally, they are scrumptious enough to gratify my inner lioness. My most fave was this Manhattan cheesecake, I cannot even remember the number of times I went back to the buffet table just to get this one.
We also had our drinks courtesy of WIK mobile bar. We tried this mango sling having 14% Alcohol. I thought I could handle it basically because it just sounds like an ordinary mango juice, but the taste of dark rum really overpowered that I could barely swallow a sip of it.
Overall, the exhibit experience was indeed overwhelming. Having conversations with people who share the same line of profession as ours who have contributed to the recent innovations of the industry is truly an honor. I hope someday, I can co-create a modernized concept to aid the current lapses of the construction industry as well.
This has been @smaeunabs saying "Hindi nagtatagal ang cheesecake dahil si Smae ay palaging bumaba-lake"