LiTraCon is a
translucent concrete building material. The name is short for "light-transmitting concrete". The material is made of 96% concrete and 4% by weight of
optical fibers
An optical fiber, or optical fibre, is a flexible glass or plastic fiber that can transmit light from one end to the other. Such fibers find wide usage in fiber-optic communications, where they permit transmission over longer distances and at ...
.
It was developed in 2001 by
Hungarian architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
Áron Losonczi working with scientists at the
Technical University of Budapest
The Budapest University of Technology and Economics ( or in short ), official abbreviation BME, is a public research university located in Budapest, Hungary. It is the most significant university of technology in the country and is considered t ...
.
LiTraCon is manufactured by the inventor's company, LiTraCon Bt, which was founded in spring 2004. The head office and workshop is near the town of
Csongrád
Csongrád (; , archaically also ''Црноград/Crnograd,'' ) is a town in Csongrád County in southern Hungary.
History
At the time of the Hungarian Conquest (the end of 9th century) the Maros Valley was under Bulgarian control. The fortre ...
. all LiTraCon products have been produced by LiTraCon Bt. The concrete comes in precast blocks of different sizes.
The most notable installation of it to date is
Europe Gate - a 4 m high sculpture made of LiTraCon blocks, erected in 2004 in observance of the entry of Hungary into the European Union. The product won the German "Red Dot 2005 Design Award" for 'highest design qualities'.
Though expensive, Litracon appeals to architects because it is stronger than glass and translucent, unlike concrete. It was considered as possible sheathing for New York's
One World Trade Center
One World Trade Center, also known as One WTC and as the Freedom Tower, is the main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Designed by David Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, One World Tr ...
.
References
External links
* {{Official website, http://www.litracon.hu/
LiTraCon European Patent
Concrete