Concrete is an incredibly versatile material, as the possibilities with the material are endless! According to Gregor Zimmermann from G.tecz, an innovative research and development company on cement bonded high tech materials for industry applications, concrete is going to be the new plastic. At Material Xperience 2017, Gregor will give a lecture on concrete and its applications on the day of concrete and metal (Tuesday 7 February)!

Since its invention some 150 years ago, concrete has become the most used construction material in the world. And for good reason. When it comes to concrete, the sky is the limit. It can be conductive, ultra lightweight, and absorbent. Whoever thinks that concrete only comes in grey is dead wrong, as it is also possible to print designs on the material. It can even be luminous and translucent.

Furthermore, concrete is very easy to work with, as it is liquid and can be poured into any shape you like. Aside from using a rigid mould, it is also possible to use one made of fabric, with which you can create beautiful shapes, such as furniture or sculptures.

One drawback from concrete is that it is bad for the environment. The main ingredient of concrete, cement, is made by firing limestone, which emits a lot of carbon dioxide. However, nowadays it is even possible to make sustainable concrete out of CO2!

In all, it is no wonder that concrete is so widely used. In his lecture, Gregor, who is concerned with structure optimization and product development, and has long term experience with light weight structures and FEM optimization methods at G.tecz,  will discuss the new innovations in concrete production. Examples are UHPC (Ultra High Performance Concrete), super insulating concrete, 3D printed concrete, aesthetic concrete and sustainable concrete. Check out some of G.tecz materials at Materia here.

Come to Gregor Zimmermann’s lecture on Tuesday 7 February, from 11.15 to 12.00h at Material Xperience 2017! For the entire programme and a free entry ticket, visit the website of Material Xperience here.