Precast Solutions - Winter 2009 - (Page 22) OFF-WHITE By Rossella M. Ferraro and Antonio Nanni GREEN WITH New technology mixes green building with custom concrete colors. BUILD Not too long ago, when architects and engineers mentioned concrete, ordinary people rarely got excited: concrete meant a dull, grey, visually unappealing appearance. Today, thanks to new technological advances, precast concrete can be cast in a variety of finishes and colors, offering architects and the construction industry a material that is both eminently practical and aesthetically pleasing. Looking beyond appearance and with the sustainable management of resources in mind, white concrete becomes an attractive construction material for wide use around the world. The trick is in the availability of white cement. From an architectural standpoint, with the inclusion of pigments or additives to the mixture constituents, white cement allows for a broad spectrum of concrete colors from bright whites and pastels to saturated colors in the final precast concrete product, which make this material really attractive. But color is not only about aesthetics, it can also offer important practical benefits in terms of safety (i.e., reflection in the dark) and environmental impact. Based on the U.S. Green Building Council certification practice, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System for New Construction and Major Renovation (LEED-NC) considers that the reflective quality of white surfaces may help to reduce temperature fluctuations from solar radiation and improve lighting efficiency, resulting in lower heating and cooling with a reduction of related-energy costs. White precast concrete aids in reducing temperature fluctuations, improves lighting efficiency and reduces energy costs. 22 Precast Solutions | Winter 2009 www.precastsolutions.org http://www.precastsolutions.org
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