By Jackie Walsh, Freelance Writer.
Imagine a game-changer in construction and art — aluminum-reinforced concrete. Durable, flexible, and eco-friendly, this revolutionary innovation replaces over 50% of cement with eco-friendly binders. The result? A massive reduction in carbon emissions and energy use. This versatile material, redefining sustainability and functionality, not only impacts constructions but also unleashes new possibilities in the realm of sculpture creation.
Steel – A Strong Yet Unsustainable Option
Steel has long been a popular material in both the construction industry and world of art due to its strength. However, steel production comes at a huge environmental cost. “On average, 1.83 tons of CO2 is emitted for every ton of steel produced making steel production a major contributor to global warming adding over 3,3 million tons annually to global emissions,” the World Counts reports. Moreover, notably, sustainability is an increasing priority in the art world. The Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC), for example, is now three years old, and comprises more than 900 international members from across the art sector. GCC members are on a collective mission to reduce the industry’s carbon emissions by at least 50% by 2030, in alignment with the Paris Climate Accords.
Aluminum-Reinforced Concrete – A Sustainable Alternative
Here’s where aluminum-reinforced concrete comes in. The brainchild of the research team, DARE2C, based in Trondheim, Norway, this eco-friendly material can play a key role in helping the art world reach their sustainability goal. Aluminum-reinforced concrete is significantly more carbon-friendly than steel, as it uses binders instead of traditional cement clinkers. Additionally, around 55% of the cement is replaced by regular clay, along with binders, that generate far fewer carbon emissions in total. The cement is also burned at lower temperatures — 850°C instead of the usual 1,450°C. As a result, both carbon emissions and energy usage are lowered. But, the environmental benefits don’t stop there. For instance, aluminum-refincored concrete can be mixed with seawater — this is particularly useful in locations that don’t have easy access to freshwater.
Sculptures Made with Steel- or Aluminum-Reinforced Concrete
Metal materials, including steel, bronze, and silver, have long-been popular in the art world and used to create beautiful sculptures in particular. For example, the Arcos del Milenio — which means the Millennium Arches in English — is a giant sculpture made of steel-reinforced concrete. It was created in 1999 by Mexican artist Sebastián, and installed in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Impressively, the Arcos del Milenio weighs 1500 metric tons, reaches 52 meters tall, and covers 1700 square meters of ground.
“The technical revolution established by the Millenium Arch arises from a deep knowledge of masonry tradition and is based on thorough research into the new strength capacities of reinforced masonry,” a report from the 12th International Brick/Block Masonry Conference reveals. “The cantilever beam, which technically forms the arch, is a simple sequence of bricks laid flat, with some of them left complete and others laterally opened in order to house the corresponding hoop bars. The arrangement is combined with longitudinal bed-joint reinforcement and the surrounding mortar, creating a heterogenous assembly which works in a far more isotropic fashion than initially thought.”
Indeed, the sculpture exhibits technical advances in masonry, as it’s the first of its kind to reinforce hollow brick with steel in all three dimensions of space, a report published on ResearchGate reveals. Brick is used in a header bond arrangement, and is then reinforced with bars and stirrups.
Alternatively, when it comes to sculptures that incorporate both steel, aluminum, and concrete, the Floralis Generica is a great example. Created by Argentinian architect, Eduardo Catalano in 2002, this stunning landmark sculpture is installed in the Plaza de las Naciones Unidas, Avenida Figueroa Alcorta, Buenos Aires. Taking the shape of a flower, the eye-catching sculpture stands 23 meters high, and weighs a whopping 18 tons. It comprises of an aluminum skeleton covered with stainless steel, and is set into reinforced concrete. The sculpture is also situated in a pool of water spanning 44 m — the resulting reflection serves to further highlight the drama of the piece. Every morning, the sculpture blooms to reveal four stamens inside the flower, before closing again in the evening — just like a real flower. Cleverly, a hydraulic system along with photocells are used to control the opening and closing of the flower at pre-set times.
Aluminum-reinforced concrete holds the potential to revolutionize both the construction industry and the world of art. By being a durable, flexible, and eco-friendly alternative to traditional steel-reinforced concrete, more and more artists are expected to discover this groundbreaking material in the near future.
