Italian architects have developed a "transparent cement" which allows daylight flood into a room making the walls look like giant windows. Created by researchers at Italcementi Group, the material, called i.light, has dozens of tiny holes in it which lets light through without compromising the structural integrity of a building.
Up close, the 2-3mm gaps make a startling pattern and from certain angles or at a distance appear exactly the same as normal concrete. But on a sunny day, the effect is akin to little more than a light mesh on the wall filtering the light coming in, the Daily Mail reported.
Italcementi researchers, who created the cement by bonding special resins in a new mix, have so far used it for only one building -- the Italian pavilion at last year's Expo in Shanghai. However, it has already been suggested it could save electricity that would otherwise be required for daytime lighting.
Italcementi used i.light for around 40 per cent of the 18-metre high Expo pavilion, or 3,774 transparent panels and semi-transparent panels made from 189 tonnes of the product. In each transparent panel there are approximately 50 holes, leading to about 20 per cent transparency.
The semi-transparent panels were around 10 per cent see-through and were created by "modulating the insertion of the resins". Previous attempts at a similar feat had been tried using fibre optic cables through concrete, but Italcementi is claiming that its version is better.
Italcementi Group Innovation Director said: "The "transparent cement" made from plastic resins is much cheaper than the one made from optical fibers and costs less. "Moreover, the ability to 'capture' light is greater, since the resins contain a wider visual angle than optical fibers.
"This characteristic in fact increases the transparency properties of the material and the luminous effects given to buildings." According to Borgarello, his company took up the challenge to build the pavilion because they wanted to find a "creative, efficient solution".
"The 3,774 'transparent cement' panels for the Italian Pavilion were made at a rate of around 200 a day," he said. The cement is currently under patent and it is not yet decided if it would be made available worldwide, he added.
