3 construction materials you may find in buildings of the future

When we talk about buildings of the future, we’re usually preoccupied with the design of these buildings and the amenities they’ll provide. We’re awed by projects like the Burj al Arab hotel in Dubai, one of the tallest buildings in the world, built on an artificial island in the shape of a sailboat, and costing around $18,000 a night for guests wanting to take advantage of its luxury offerings.

But there is much innovation taking place not just in the way we build, but the materials we use to create these structures. Conversations about sustainability and durability are driving some of the most interesting changes in the construction industry to come in the near future. Here are just a few of those innovations that may significantly alter the shape of our built communities in the years to come.

• Self-healing concrete – Danish researchers have developed a form of concrete with added bacterial spores that allows the material to repair its own cracks. Their tests show the concrete can heal cracks of up to half a millimeter wide.

• Graphene – Graphene isn’t a brand new material (it was first produced in a lab over a decade ago), but its applications are many and various, with a strength of over 200 times that of steel, recognition as the lightest material known to man, and the ability to conduct heat and electricity extremely well—all this at a thickness of only one atom of carbon.

• Aerogel – This may sound like a hair product you’d hear about from the Jetsons, but it’s actually extremely lightweight insulation that is produced by extracting liquid from gel. The result is a material that is over 90% air but is excellent at preventing the transfer of heat.

These are only three of many interesting new ideas being introduced to our industry, and we’re excited to see what’s to come for the construction of the future!