Object Record

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Metadata

Title

LiTraCon

Object Name

LiTraCon

Collection

Architectural Fragments Collection

Catalog Number

2008.2.1

Description

Light -transmitting concrete wall; 47.25" W x 71"H x 8" D (120 x 180 x 20 cm) consisting of 60 concrete blocks embedded with fiber-optics, 3 tension wires, wooden plate, lamp and double T guider.

From the website:
Litracon™ is a combination of optical fibres and fine concrete. It can be produced as prefabricated building blocks and panels. Due to the small size of the fibres, they blend into concrete becoming a component of the material like small pieces of aggregate. In this manner, the result is not only two materials - glass in concrete - mixed, but a third, new material, which is homogeneous in its inner structure and on its main surfaces as well. The glass fibres lead light by points between the two sides of the blocks. Because of their parallel position, the light-information on the brighter side of such a wall appears unchanged on the darker side. The most interesting form of this phenomenon is probably the sharp display of shadows on the opposing side of the wall. Moreover, the colour of the light also remains the same.

Thousands of optical glass fibres form a matrix and run parallel to each other between the two main surfaces of each block. The proportion of the fibres is very small (4%) compared to the total volume of the blocks. Moreover, these fibres mingle in the concrete because of their insignificant size, and they become a structural component as a kind of modest aggregate. Therefore, the surface of the blocks remains homogeneous concrete. In theory, a wall structure built from light-transmitting concrete can be several meters thick, because the fibres work without almost any loss in light up until 20 meters. Load-bearing structures can be also built of these blocks, since glass fibres do not have a negative effect on the well-known high compressive strength value of concrete. The blocks can be produced in various sizes and with embedded heat-isolation.

Currently On Display In

Visible Vault: Open Collections Storage

Credit Line

Inventor Aron Losonczi, M.Sc. Architect, Producer LitTraCon Bt, Hungary, www.litracon.hu

Date

2004

Maker

Aron Losonczi

Role Artist

Inventor

Donor