Live in a green building? That’s great. You use less energy and, because of that alone, you save yourself some money. And, of course, you’re doing your part for the environment. No one can fault you for increasing atmospheric carbon and its consequent radiative forcing of the lower atmosphere. We all want to say thanks.
Oh! Wait. You actually live in a green building, meaning the color? It’s what? It’s made of green pigmented concrete? Sorry, I was thinking passive and active green energy systems like south-facing big windows for collecting heat in the winter, deciduous trees on that same side to block the sun in summer, insulated walls, a large overhang to block the high summer sun, solar panels on the roof, and/or geothermal heating and cooling systems. But you’re telling me that the building is green, the color green. I guess that still saves you money. If the concrete is green, no one has to spend money on paint. Again, that’s a win-win for you personally though it probably doesn’t do much for the environment. Of course, much of what we do is just for appearances. There’s an increasing demand for colored concrete, and not just along Collins Avenue in Miami or on the hillsides of Bermuda, where all those pastel—colored concrete buildings and houses provide an art nouveau architecture. Barcelona has such colored buildings in the Ciutat de la Justícia.
But did you see the recent story about green pigments in cement, specifically those with muscovite mica for coloring? Seems that the green concrete is structurally weak because of increased prorosity.* Now, if your green comes from cobaltous aluminate oxide and iron (III) oxide, you don’t have to worry. Those pigments don’t weaken cements. You ought to check with your contractor, nevertheless. He (or she) probably did the math to determine the safety of your concrete and the durability of your building under stresses.
Yes, equations. Mehreen Heerah, Graham Dawson, and Isaac Galobardes improved the equation used to determine the structural integrity of colored concrete. Galobardes says that using the equation “avoids making the destructive tests used to estimate the mechanical properties of concrete.”
Makes me think of Don Quixote. Remember Quixote’s fashioning a helmet and then testing it by striking it with his sword? Destructive testing. The helmet didn’t withstand the impact. So, what did Quixote do? He fashioned another helmet and decided that it would withstand the impact without the destructive testing. Good to know that the same thinking works for green concrete, for pigmented concrete, buildings, and for the current drive toward socialism.
In matters less concrete than concrete, isn’t this what we do? Isn’t this the testing methodology behind educational engineering and social engineering? We don’t really run the tests that tell the tale, or we ignore the tests that show failure. We say that since we have a good idea, let’s live it. Or, we say, “Sure, it didn’t work before, but it’ll work this time.”
Sorry to tell those of you who favor socialism and communism, but you aren’t different from Quixote, the dreamer. The helmet you don has been tested and broken. Putting on another that is a duplicate of the first will yield the same results, regardless of your well-meaning intentions. As part of his quest for living the chivalrous and noble life, Don Quixote donned a helmet that did nothing to protect his life or the lives of others. But then, he did tilt at windmills.
*Fraass, Robert. 23 July 2021. Fatal flaw uncovered in green pigmented concrete. Phys.org. Online at https://phys.org/news/2021-07-fatal-flaw-uncovered-green-pigmented.html Accessed July 27, 2021. See also Mehreen Z. Heerah et al, Characterisation and control of cementitious mixes with colour pigment admixtures, Case Studies in Construction Materials DOI: 10.1016/j.cscm.2021.e00571
Oh! Wait. You actually live in a green building, meaning the color? It’s what? It’s made of green pigmented concrete? Sorry, I was thinking passive and active green energy systems like south-facing big windows for collecting heat in the winter, deciduous trees on that same side to block the sun in summer, insulated walls, a large overhang to block the high summer sun, solar panels on the roof, and/or geothermal heating and cooling systems. But you’re telling me that the building is green, the color green. I guess that still saves you money. If the concrete is green, no one has to spend money on paint. Again, that’s a win-win for you personally though it probably doesn’t do much for the environment. Of course, much of what we do is just for appearances. There’s an increasing demand for colored concrete, and not just along Collins Avenue in Miami or on the hillsides of Bermuda, where all those pastel—colored concrete buildings and houses provide an art nouveau architecture. Barcelona has such colored buildings in the Ciutat de la Justícia.
But did you see the recent story about green pigments in cement, specifically those with muscovite mica for coloring? Seems that the green concrete is structurally weak because of increased prorosity.* Now, if your green comes from cobaltous aluminate oxide and iron (III) oxide, you don’t have to worry. Those pigments don’t weaken cements. You ought to check with your contractor, nevertheless. He (or she) probably did the math to determine the safety of your concrete and the durability of your building under stresses.
Yes, equations. Mehreen Heerah, Graham Dawson, and Isaac Galobardes improved the equation used to determine the structural integrity of colored concrete. Galobardes says that using the equation “avoids making the destructive tests used to estimate the mechanical properties of concrete.”
Makes me think of Don Quixote. Remember Quixote’s fashioning a helmet and then testing it by striking it with his sword? Destructive testing. The helmet didn’t withstand the impact. So, what did Quixote do? He fashioned another helmet and decided that it would withstand the impact without the destructive testing. Good to know that the same thinking works for green concrete, for pigmented concrete, buildings, and for the current drive toward socialism.
In matters less concrete than concrete, isn’t this what we do? Isn’t this the testing methodology behind educational engineering and social engineering? We don’t really run the tests that tell the tale, or we ignore the tests that show failure. We say that since we have a good idea, let’s live it. Or, we say, “Sure, it didn’t work before, but it’ll work this time.”
Sorry to tell those of you who favor socialism and communism, but you aren’t different from Quixote, the dreamer. The helmet you don has been tested and broken. Putting on another that is a duplicate of the first will yield the same results, regardless of your well-meaning intentions. As part of his quest for living the chivalrous and noble life, Don Quixote donned a helmet that did nothing to protect his life or the lives of others. But then, he did tilt at windmills.
*Fraass, Robert. 23 July 2021. Fatal flaw uncovered in green pigmented concrete. Phys.org. Online at https://phys.org/news/2021-07-fatal-flaw-uncovered-green-pigmented.html Accessed July 27, 2021. See also Mehreen Z. Heerah et al, Characterisation and control of cementitious mixes with colour pigment admixtures, Case Studies in Construction Materials DOI: 10.1016/j.cscm.2021.e00571
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