When we talk about biological concrete, the first thing that comes to mind, it’s green and sustainable buildings, right? These wonderful vertical gardens, they use the biological concrete in their facades. This material provides accelerated growth of pigmented organisms such as mosses, lichens, fungi and other families of these microalgae.
Biological concrete was created and patented by the Spanish company, Structural Technology Group, of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), located in Barcelona.
Very suitable for environments where the Mediterranean climate is predominant, where the summer is hot and dry, and the winter very humid and unstable, this material brings several environmental advantages to the city. It reduces the atmospheric level of carbon dioxide, known as CO2, and is still an alternative to various toxic inks used. As if these advantages were not enough, this material still helps in the thermal confort inside the buildings absorbing the solar radiance.
They are composed of three layers on the structural basis. The first layer is waterproofed, which is directly on the structural base to protect against moisture damage. Second layer is considered biological because it provides the necessary support for the proliferation of the microorganisms, aiding in the retention of water. The third and last layer, does the opposite effect of the first: reverse waterproofing, allowing the infiltration of the water and keeping it inside the concrete.
Researcher continues studying about the material before having the product in the market. Researchers are also still studying how to make rapid growth of microorganisms occur in biological concrete. With this, the facades will look uniform in less than a year.
In addition, research also seeks a strategy for these facades to change color during the seasons, for example, perhaps by changing the type of microorganism present in the concrete.
