Glass-Fiber Reinforced Concrete (GRC) | Eco-Friendly Construction Material
Glass-fiber reinforced concrete i.e. GRC stone is gaining immense popularity in facade cladding among architects, engineers, contractors and builders. These days, more and more professionals are becoming aware of the benefits of using this remarkable composite material. The reason behind its soaring popularity is its unlimited versatility which is enabling professionals to create external cladding panels in rectangular as well as curvilinear shapes.
Unlike other material, GRC stones impart buildings with a solid appearance without causing weight and environmental concerns. They are available in a wide gamut of architectural finishes, textures and colors and the best thing is that they can be manufactured to resemble natural stone in a variety of finishes right from fine grain to more exposed coarse aggregate look. When desire, GRC material can also be highly polished to provide a texture similar to a polished worktop. All of these qualities make this composite material suitable to be used in a large range of applications.
There are certainly many strong reasons to choose GRC stones for your next domestic or commercial building project. Let’s take a look what reasons these are.
Lightweight and Durable
When compared with precast concrete, you will be surprised to know that GRC weighs 80% less. But, due to its lightweight nature, you should not worry about its durability as its manufacturing process doesn’t compromise on durability factor. By using resistant glass fibers into cement mix, the process reinforces the material with corrosion proof sturdy fibers, which makes GRC long lasting for any construction requirement. Its lightweight nature makes the construction of walls, foundations, panels and cladding much easier and quicker.
Eco-Friendly Solution for Construction Needs
There are several factors which when combined together make GRC an environment-friendly building solution. Traditional concrete and natural stones are inevitably limited resources and costly options. They also contribute hugely to global carbon emission. On the other hand, the concrete amount of glass reinforced concrete is quite lower which results in lower emission. On the top of that, its lightweight nature also results in lower transportation and construction emissions. Therefore, it is widely recognized as a building material for use in public, domestic and commercial projects.
Comes with a Greater Variety
GRC can be manufactured in a greater variety of shapes and sizes when compared with semi-dry or wet-cast stone. The technique of spray process production is widely used on large format cladding and also allows creation of the most complex shapes. So, with GRC stones, there are large possibilities of creativity and ultimate flexibility to express ideas in architectural cladding.
Apart from these, glass fiber reinforced concrete is also cost-effective, sturdy, and capable of providing a plethora of appearances. So, they are certainly the building material of the present and the future too.
