Mediums

Wood has been used as a building material for thousands of years, being second only to stone in terms of its rich and storied history in the world of construction. The chemical properties of wood are inherently complex, but even in spite of this challenge, human beings have successfully harnessed the unique characteristics of wood to build a seemingly unlimited variety of structures.

Metal walls have become more popular in both commercial and residential construction, and it is easy to see why. They offer a multitude of design capabilities as well as a sustainable barrier to weather. They can be used for exterior and interior design, and come in several varieties. While they are used more often in commercial office and manufacturing buildings, you can find unique uses of these panels in residential homes and condos.

Glass has been a fascinating material to humankind since it was first made in about 500 BC. At first thought to possess magical properties, glass has come a long way. It is one of the most versatile and oldest materials in the building industry.  From its humble beginnings as a window pane in luxury houses of Pompeii to sophisticated structural members in new age buildings, its role in architecture has evolved over the years.

Stone materials are often used for construction because they are strong, durable and very resistant to weather conditions. Stone is extracted from natural deposits called quarrying. The stone blocks are processed by cutting, shaping and polishing them. Some aggregates are used during the process for cleaning, crushing and sorting the stone blocks.

Glass fiber reinforced concrete, usually referred to as GFRC, is made of a Portland cement and aggregate slurry reinforced with short glass fibers. GFRC is a composite in which the reinforcement is randomly dispersed throughout the materials, thus differing from conventional reinforced concrete where steel is placed primarily in tensile stress areas. The fibers in GFRC help to stop cracks.

Concrete is the most widely used construction material in the entire world. Rather than existing as an independent material, concrete is a mix of various materials. These materials include cement, water, fine aggregate, and crushed stones or gravel. Sand and gravel or crushed stones are examples of fine aggregate and coarse aggregate, respectively.

When one thinks of fiberglass in architecture, the first thing that comes to mind is insulation; but fiberglass has many other architectural uses, some unknown to most architects. Whether it’s used on the structure or as a complimentary embellishment, this material can be surprising.

Composites are often composed of a ‘matrix’ and reinforcement fibres. There are many different types of composites which can be used for a wide range of construction and engineering purposes. Concrete is the most common composite material, consisting of aggregate held with cement as the matrix.

Fabric construction involves the conversion of yarns, and sometimes fibres, into a fabric having characteristics determined by the materials and methods employed. Most fabrics are presently produced by some method of interlacing, such as weaving or knitting.