Material Research

The House Of Bordeaux

The combinations of materials recurring stress dualism: the cement is in contrast to the glass and aluminium, creating a fascinating structural ambiguity.

Empty and filled, the introverted and extroverted, encourage both the façades and interiors along with the search asymmetry, and are made possible thanks to ingenious structural and functional solutions.   (http://en.wikiarquitectura.com/index.php/House_in_Bordeaux)

The materials of the building include;

• plastic curtains
• chrome
• concrete
• steel
• wooden floor boards

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1. Concrete
   Formation
   Normal concrete is generally made of cement, course aggregate, sand, water, chemical mixtures and other ingredients.   There are two common types of concrete, these include reinforced concrete and normal concrete. Reinforced Concrete involves the introduction of steel bars in the form of grids into concrete.  In normal concrete, steel reinforcement is generally not found.
   Decay Characteristics
   There are a number of reasns and ways concrete can and does decay, these include;
    - Concrete cancer or alkali-silica reaction (ASR)
   Alkali silica reaction is caused by a reaction between unreacted calcium oxide (in cement mixture) reacting with the silica used in aggregate, producing a gel like substance that swells as it drains water from surrounding cement.
   
    - Expansion of metal reinforcement
   the expansion of the metal reinforcements is caused by the corrosion of metal reinforcements causing them to expand. the corrosion process happens much quicker if the reinforcement is placed to close to the surface of the concrete during construction.
2. Steel
   Formation
   Steel is a mixture of iron and carbon, with carbon having the largest percentage of the mixture.  Iron is derived from the earths crust in the form of an ore.  Steel is essentially iron, but with less imperfections and with greater strength properties.
   
   There are two ways to form steel, The Open-Hearth Furnace and The Bessemer Process.  The Open-Hearth Furnace is where iron, limestone and other ingredients are heated to over 900 degrees Celsius. The impurities found, including carbon are oxidised and float out of the iron.  The other way is the Bessemer Process which involves the oxidation of the impurities blowing air through the molten iron in a Bessemer Converter.
   
3. Chrome Plate
   Formation
   Chrome plating is the technique of electroplating a thin layer of chromium onto a metal or plastic object.  The layer can be decorative, to provide corrosion resistance and serves many other purposes.