Advanced EcoCeramic Structural Systems

The increasing pressure on finite natural resources from global demand for construction materials combined with rising energy consumption is forcing the construction industry to look for low-impact and less energy intensive alternatives. This presents a need for abundant materials that can meet demanding performance criteria. Ceramics represent the most potential for the ecologically minded building materials of the future. Oxygen, Silicon, and Aluminum compose the majority of the Earth’s crust, and are readily found as silica SiO2 and aluminum silicates Al2SiO5 that can be directly used for the production of ceramics. Ceramic materials can be used in diverse applications and continuously reclaimed as high quality materials saving more precious resources. Composites and coatings augment ceramic materials for high performance architectural applications. Energy and climatic simulation with physical testing are used to produce ecologically and biologically minded architectures of advanced ceramic technologies in response to environmental criteria and thermal comfort. Digital technologies and physical modeling techniques along with an innovative look at traditional materials re-inform and re-value the role of earthen materials in the built environment.