A review of translucent concrete as a new innovative material in architecture

Abstract

Recently, the concept of green architecture has become a common interest in various disciplines; innovative materials are continuously developed to fulfill the green architecture requirements. Translucent concrete (TC) or light-transmitting concrete (LTC) is produced as one of those innovative types of materials which allows external light to transmit through interior spaces by using some light elements like optical fibers with concrete. This paper aggregates and reviews the previous studies in terms of translucent concrete’ applications, proper ratio and arrangement pattern of optical fibers, light-transmitting, mechanical, thermal and energy-saving properties. We reviewed the remarkable studies carried out especially last 10 years in translucent concrete techniques. Notwithstanding the advantages, literature concurs that several gaps were found in translucent concrete studies. Translucent concrete’ strength and proper ratio of fibers are key limitations. The gap between studies examining the effect of using different ratios of optical fibers on the material strength and on energy-saving concluded that the proper ratio of fibers should be less than 5% for strength, and the optimum ratio ranges 4.3% to 6% for energy-saving. We identify possible areas for future research and suggest recommendations in the conclusion to fill these gaps.