Advantageous Properties of Block Fill Concrete

 

Concrete is known to be the common universally used building material in the world. But it is hardly misused for private house construction because the material has many favorable properties.

 

Architects have long appreciated the strengths of the gray building material and not only when building motorway bridges. Ceilings, roofs, chimneys, stairs, cellars, garages, and even garbage cans are now made of concrete as a matter. In private house construction, however, the building material has so far played an outsider role. Wrongly, because the mixture of sand, gravel, cement, and water has many advantages that can also be used when building complete single houses.

 

Advantageous Properties of Block Fill Concrete

 

First of all, concrete is extremely resilient and durable. This ensures long-term value retention and low maintenance costs for a property built with it. Nevertheless, the building material is extremely flexible: It can be poured into almost any shape in its liquid state. This is an advantage, for example, for the production of prefabricated components, which can shorten the construction time considerably and thereby reduce costs. Although external insulation is required when building with conventional concrete, the construction remains slim due to the thin structure of concrete walls. The heat storage capacity of block fill concrete has a positive effect on the room climate. Another plus point is the high density of massive components.

 

That is why concrete is already being used for building ceilings and stairs. In addition, it offers optimal fire protection. Block fill concrete components are class 1A non-flammable materials. In the event of a fire, they do not emit harmful vapors or gases.

 

It All Depends on The Mix

 

Weight, load-bearing capacity, thermal insulation, and sound insulation can be adapted to various requirements. So-called lightweight concrete has a particularly low weight due to artificially created air inclusions and high thermal insulation properties. Lightweight block fill concrete is available in various sizes and also as exposed masonry with different surfaces. They are particularly suitable for builders who want to create their shell construction: aerated concrete blocks are not only light at 7 to 25 kilograms, skilled craftspeople can efficiently process them.

 

Everything Organic with Concrete

 

In terms of ecology, too, concrete does not need to hide. Everything you need to mix the material is provided by nature. In terms of energy balance, the building material is also doing well: Only 170 to 220 kilowatt-hours of energy are required to produce one ton of concrete. For comparison: with steel, it is 5800 kilowatt-hours. Around 35 cubic meters of concrete are needed for a single-family house. A dense network of concrete plants ensures short delivery routes. In addition, concrete is recyclable. The old material is crushed and recycled in road construction.

 

 

 

 

It Doesn't Always Have to Be Gray

 

Even those who rely on exposed block fill concrete no longer need to do without color. Concrete can be mixed in more than 150 color shades by adding pigments during production. For purists, however, that should be an abomination. For them, the "honest" gray of the exposed concrete is a special design element.