Los materiales vanguardia en el sector de la construcción
Acero y vidrio aportan resistencia y sostenibilidad a la industria, e innovación de la construcción.
The evolution of the construction industry has been accompanied by inputs that extend its life cycle, to the point that many are easily reusable, which in the face of construction firms translates into reductions in the investment return times of the structure and reduction of possible cost overruns.
Call it steel, glass, cement or concrete, all these materials have been transformed over the years to become more specialized according to the needs, without losing sight of their most outstanding attributes and minimizing their damage to the environment.
Mechanical and aesthetic efficiency
At the architectural level, concrete has acquired a unique relevance due to its characteristics, which position it as one of the preferred inputs for buildings. And it is that its modernization has been marked by responding to specific requirements in difficult conditions, such as in the construction of structures in contact with water or other aggressive agents.
“The vectors of development of concrete have been very large. These have progressed greatly in their resistance to compression. Speaking of Argos, today we have an advanced high-performance concrete that supports about 24,000 psi, which allows the engineer to design a more slender structure, reduces the weight of the building and improves its earthquake resistance, ”said Lucas Moreno, vice president of growth and development Argos States United.
"The concrete development vectors have been very large. These have progressed greatly in their resistance to compression."
Thus, the concrete of high resistance to comprehension and flexotraction today are a tendency in construction, to the point that it is possible to affirm that they make it a competitive material compared to others such as steel and allows reducing amounts of reinforcement in structural elements.
On the other hand, today it is possible to acquire permeable concretes that allow the passage of water to recreate its natural cycle, “in this way it facilitates its storage so that it can be reused and favor urban development without saturating the sewer system. A product in tune with nature, ”explains the Vice President of Innovation of Argos.
Fernando Galindo, commercial director of Holcim, explains that today concrete can provide a structure with unique characteristics such as reducing noise by 80 percent compared to other materials - such as wood or steel - or a resistance such that It allows very long life cycles, since it does not rot, does not corrode and is resistant to fire.
It should also be noted that “concrete walls consume less energy to heat or cool the interiors of housing,” adds Galindo.
Steel: accuracy and savings
Today, construction with steel framing is a trend that is being imposed in steel construction and represents one of the greatest innovations, in addition, it is already being used in Colombia.
“This system consists of a lightweight steel-based structure, usually galvanized. They are thin sheet coatings in this metal, ranging from 0.75 millimeters to 2 millimeters thick; From there a cold conformation is generated, which has been able to build buildings of up to six floors in Latin America and that makes it suitable for other works, ”says the executive director of Camacero.
"This system consists of a lightweight steel-based structure, usually galvanized."
Other market experts consulted, indicate that research on this metal has yielded innovations of sustainable steels, which are self-protective or self-repairing, since they incorporate technologies that allow the elimination of bacteria that cause corrosion from the addition of titanium dioxide.
Likewise, in terms of techniques, “advances in nanotechnology have made steel with greater mechanical resistance possible. Another important trend that is being studied is the layered construction by a 3D printing system. Also, in some countries steels that include photovoltaic layers are being developed, so that steel, in addition to providing the structure's shape and strength, also contributes to the generation of energy in the building, ”Gerdau Diaco spokesmen explain. / p>
Glass, plastic and rubber
Companies like Tecnoglass today stand out for offering low-e or low-emissivity glass, which have the ability to maximize the passage of visible light while rejecting the sun's ultraviolet and infrared rays, responsible for changing building temperatures.
"In this way, substantial reductions in energy consumption in terms of refrigeration, heating and artificial lighting are achieved," Tecnoglass spokesmen say.
In addition, plastic and rubber are not far behind if construction is involved. Through technical products, these materials today impact projects in the window packing segment.
"We make EPDM rubber packages manufactured under high quality standards, which guarantee adequate insulation and tight sealing in aluminum profiles systems," said spokesmen of the Eterna group.
