Architecture and Construction
Remediation of contaminated wooden structures
Residue-free and sustainable removal of contaminants. In Germany, there are around three million buildings that are contaminated with the toxic wood preservatives lindane and pentachlorophenol (PCP). Previous measures for minimizing…
Veins of bacteria could form a self-healing system for concrete infrastructure
Drexel University’s ‘BioFiber’ can stabilize and heal damaged concrete. In hopes of producing concrete structures that can repair their cracks, researchers from Drexel University’s College of Engineering are putting a…
Autonomous excavator constructs a 6-meter-high dry-stone wall
ETH Zurich researchers deployed an autonomous excavator, called HEAP, to build a six metre-high and sixty-five-metre-long dry-stone wall. The wall is embedded in a digitally planned and autonomously excavated landscape…
Lignin coating makes geotextiles made from environmentally friendly natural fibers durable
Textiles are a given in civil engineering: they stabilize water protection dams, facilitate the revegetation of slopes at risk of erosion, and even make asphalt layers of roads thinner. Until…
Mathematical model predicts what is leached out of building facades by the rain
Components released from facade materials… The plaster and mortar used in facades often contain heavy metals and biocides that leach out and infiltrate into the soil when it rains. The…
A simulation model to counter the climate collapse
PALM-4U: urban planning for climate change. As climate change progresses, extreme weather events such as prolonged hot spells, storms and heavy rain are occurring ever more frequently, and cities are…