Eco-Friendly Concrete Building Walls Grow Moss
Researchers in Spain have created cement that uses natural rainwater to grow moss.
Living walls consisting of hanging plants or vines are often used in urban spaces, but researchers from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Barcelona are currently developing a new type of ‘biological concrete’ that can capture rainfall and create living walls of moss and fungi, bringing buildings one more step closer to being eco-friendly.
Conventional “living walls” often need special gardening wire frames for vines or moss to latch onto; the ‘biological concrete,’ however, allows the growth of plants and other organisms right at its very surface through a biological layer that stores rain water and provides a moist environment for algae, fungi, lichen and mosses to thrive. The concrete layer is also able to absorb carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and act as an insulating material and a thermal regulator.
Image via Gizmag