The construction industry has always relied on the same materials for hundreds of years. But recently, several new materials have become widely available. The difference today is not necessarily what we build with – but how those materials are engineered and combined together.
If you’ve been looking at builders merchants jobs, such as bmcareers.com/distributors-and-builders-merchants-vacancies/, it’s worth learning about new advancements in materials.
1. Glass
Glass has become one of the most popular materials in modern architecture. Once used only for windows, glass is often now an aesthetic centrepiece in commercial towers and residential developments. Advances in manufacturing have introduced double and triple glazing, low-emissivity coatings, laminated safety glass, and tempered panels that improve energy efficiency, too.
2.Composite materials
Composite materials are engineered by combining two or more substances to create a product with better properties. In construction, common examples include fibreglass, carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers, and aluminium composite panels.
Composite cladding panels, structural reinforcements, and prefabricated components are now becoming commonplace in infrastructure. Their durability and efficiency make them particularly useful in bridges and other construction projects.
3. ICFs
Insulated Concrete Forms, commonly known as ICFs, are a building system rather than a single material. They consist of hollow foam blocks or panels that are then stacked to form walls, reinforced with steel, and then filled with concrete.
Once the concrete sets, the foam remains in place, providing the building with continuous insulation on both sides of the wall. ICFs are increasingly popular in residential and low-rise commercial buildings because they are able to reduce the building’s energy consumption.
