AZoBuild

A single application of ‘smart’ self-repairing coating is being developed to dramatically extend rust protection for buildings, bridges, cars and other steel components. Image Credit: The University of Queensland University of Queensland nanomaterials experts have engineered powder-like particles that can turn water-based paint into self-repairing corrosion shields with the potential to slow rusting by more than 600 times compared with existing high-performance coatings.

Reviewed by Sarah Kelly *Important notice: This news reports on an unedited version of an accepted paper and is awaiting final editing. Therefore, the paper should not be regarded as conclusive or treated as established information. Optimized bamboo fiber and stem ash have been incorporated into concrete slabs to explore the material’s potential as an eco-friendly alternative to traditional steel-reinforced slabs. These findings were published in Scientific Reports.

Reviewed by Sarah Kelly The Ninghai Bamboo Tower stands 20.3 m tall in Ninghai County, Zhejiang, China. It has six stories plus a roof-access attic, a 130 m2 footprint, and about 800 m2 of total floor area. Completed in 2024, the building is described by its design team as the world's first tall engineered mass-bamboo building, a claim tied to its height and multi-story design.

Drier climates are exacerbating an expensive problem for millions of Australians whose homes sit on expansive soils prone to shrinkage cracks, which have already cost insurance companies and individuals billions of dollars in damage bills. Dr. Bikash Devkota.

Reviewed by Laura Thomson *Important notice: This news reports on an unedited version of an accepted paper and is awaiting final editing. Therefore, the paper should not be regarded as conclusive or treated as established information. A technique borrowed from the bakery could help make concrete tougher and better insulated.

The UK could meet its housing targets of up to 300,000 new homes each year, swapping high-carbon building materials for straw without running out of supply, according to new research. The UK produces around 9.9 million tons of straw every year, far more than would be needed as a construction material to meet the government’s housebuilding targets.

Reviewed by Laura Thomson *Important notice: This news reports on an unedited version of an accepted paper and is awaiting final editing. Therefore, the paper should not be regarded as conclusive or treated as established information. A concrete structure in rain-soaked Bergen faces a very different climate from one in tropical Manaus. Yet under European durability standards, both can sit within the same broad exposure class for concrete exposed to repeated wetting and drying.

Reviewed by Sarah Kelly The South African Context Why Hemp? Advantages of Hemp Bricks Future Outlook The housing crisis in South Africa is no longer limited to numbers.

More than 30 leaders from international cities will convene at UNSW Sydney for a global conference focused on creating healthier, more sustainable and equitable urban centers. UNSW Cities Institute with Healthy Cities Australia will host the 11th Global Conference for the Alliance of Healthy Cities (AFHC), from 1–3 September at the UNSW Kensington Campus. The conference will examine what creates a healthier city including public health, urban planning, transport, housing, environment and policy.

Reviewed by Sarah Kelly *Important notice: This news reports on an unedited version of an accepted paper and is awaiting final editing. Therefore, the paper should not be regarded as conclusive or treated as established information. Researchers have developed a real-options valuation model covering 179 integrated cement plants across Europe to examine how policy and technology uncertainty could shape decarbonization efforts in Europe’s cement industry.