BlingCrete™ – light-reflecting concrete

BlingCrete™ represents a new genre of materials with its own logic of effect that cannot be described simply in terms of the usual categories of heavy and light or form, construction, and surface. BlingCrete™, also known as light-reflecting concrete, combines the positive characteristics of concrete (fire safety, solidity, building methods) with those of light-reflection. The dialog with light, lastingly integrated by the combination of materials, creates the special, dematerialized aesthetic.

The BlingCrete™ surface is activated depending on the position of surface, light source, and recipient. The concrete changes from a passive to an active state. BlingCrete™ aims to transform any ordinary space into a highly immersive or interactive environment by lowtech analogue modes. It can be regarded as an analogue interactive surface. Possible applications include the dural sructural safety marking of edges and danger areas, like steps, curbs, railway platforms, as well novel surface components: façade, floor, ceiling or the design of integrated guidance systems.

Part of BlingCrete™ is the development of novel High Performance and Ultra High Performance Concretes that are used: They played an important role in the development of BlingCrete™, because with it the adhesive composition of the glass beads and their position in the matrix can be controlled precisely.

BlingCrete™ is the concept of a material admitting the creation of subtle surfaces that manage to mediate between material and light and thus indirectly refer to the relationship between mass and surface. Surfaces that do not represent a static energy state, but rather permit a flowing transition to formulation and set the architecture in motion, as it were. The attention shifts from the appearance of a material to the performance of surfaces.

BlingCrete™ will be honoured with the Design Plus Award for excellent and especially innovative design on the occasion of the Material Vision 2011.