Project 15

Title:

Appearance of Concrete Facades

Partners:

Aalborg Portland, Denmark
Danish Technological Institute, Denmark
University of Aberdeen, UK

Starting date:

March 1, 2006

Objectives:

State of the Art : In addition to its civil engineering properties, concrete also has an architectural and aesthetic function. When the structure ages, the visible appearance of the surface gradually changes as it is exposed to the environment (weather, pollution, biological growth). It is vital that the appearance of the concrete surface remains consistent with the overall architectural vision for the structure. The ease at which grime and organic growth sticks to the surface is governed by the nanostructure of the concrete matrix.
Objective and Innovation : In this project, different physical and chemical surface properties will be examined to explain their importance for concrete patina. The wider perspective is to be able to control the concrete patina by designing the surface on a nano scale. The project is inextricably linked to project 6, and collaboration with Aalborg aims at providing practical applications of functional surfaces, in addition to providing a means of verifying the results of project 13 by performance testing at the macroscopic level. The work planned in projects 1, 3, 4, 9, and 5 are also closely related to this project.