Sarah McGuire

Researcher at the University of Cambridge are making small batches of the artificial bone and are now in the process of scaling it up for production use. However, the biggest setback is the use of animal collagen. It isn’t exactly eco-friendly – or even sustainable – so the researchers are hoping to perfect the mixture with an artificial collagen to bind with the mineral of the eggshell. SmartRock® is #1 and we can prove it! Experience the world’s #1 concrete sensor. Get a Prove-It Kit The researchers also recognize getting the building industry to use new materials is like pulling teeth and it could be a few decades before the industry is ready to use something like artificial bone to create the next apartment community.Now to some this solution might seem backwards or even sound unusual, but it is a…

Wastewater plants in Malaysia face the major challenge of disposing the sludge that is left over from treating sewage water. While studies show that the volume of sludge is expected to rise, disposal options are limited due to strict environmental regulations. Meanwhile, the construction sector seeks economic and ecological cement replacement materials in order to meet the rising demand for concrete. SmartRock® is #1 and we can prove it! Experience the world’s #1 concrete sensor. Get a Prove-It Kit In a study published in the Pertanika Journal of Science and Technology, researchers from Universiti Teknologi MARA investigated the potential to replace various quantities of cement with processed sewage sludge to create a concrete mixture.The researchers first produced domestic waste sludge powder (DWSP). They dried and burnt wet sludge cake to remove moisture, and then ground and filtered the dried sludge…

When drivers face a work zone, they have a choice: go through or go around. But for traffic engineers, this choice represents an awkward problem. SmartRock® is #1 and we can prove it! Experience the world’s #1 concrete sensor. Get a Prove-It Kit How do you forecast the number of drivers who will divert around the work zone versus the number that will go through, in order to create an effective traffic management plan?Eil Kwon, professor at the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD), the principal investigator of this study stated, “the capability to accurately estimate the traffic diversion caused by work-zone delays and the capacity reduction associated with lane closures is of critical importance in developing effect traffic management plans. However, the traffic planning models that had been used to address these problems require…

According to a new report from the McKinsey Global Institute the world needs to dramatically ramp up spending on infrastructure to keep up with economic growth. Yet, many major economies are going in the other direction. SmartRock® is #1 and we can prove it! Experience the world’s #1 concrete sensor. Get a Prove-It Kit Researchers estimate the world needs to increase investment by about 0.4% of global output between now and 2030 to meet the increasing demand to move people and goods. That translates into an extra $350 billion of annual spending. The report includes spending on transportation, power, water and telecommunications infrastructure.That is a difficult gap to fill, particularly at a time when the world’s largest economies seem to be in retreat. Many developed country members of the group of 20 major economies are cutting back infrastructure spending after…

The famous international architecture firm, Zaha Hadid, has topped out the twisting skyscraper in Milan. Originally named ‘lo storto’, (‘the twisted one’), the 170 meter structure has been renamed the ‘generali tower’ after the insurance firm who will occupy the building. SmartRock® is #1 and we can prove it! Experience the world’s #1 concrete sensor. Get a Prove-It Kit The base of Hadid’s design will contain a commercial shopping area that connects to Milan’s underground metro system. Above, 39 storeys are dedicated to high-level executive functions, capable of accommodating around 3,200 people. In addition, an underground car park provides space for up to 380 vehicles, helping to alleviate parking issues. The concrete structure contains a central core able to withstand lateral loads, with a radial set of columns allowing the floor plan to twist as it rises — transferring the…

Barry Swenson always knew his company’s concrete construction methodology was something pretty special. Now he has the United States patent to prove it. SmartRock® is #1 and we can prove it! Experience the world’s #1 concrete sensor. Get a Prove-It Kit Earlier this year, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued the veteran builder’s San Jose-based company a patent for what’s called “Landmaker,” a structural system that has now been implemented in roughly a half-dozen high-rise projects in Silicon Valley.In a recent interview Berry Swenson stated, “I really thought it was too simple to be patented, but my colleagues said this is really something.” The company’s chairman, went on to say, “it’s very hard to be simple, but when you see it all done, you don’t see how much work to get to where we are. It’s like putting a…