What material is as strong as concrete, can be over a meter thick, and yet transmits light? Litracon (LIght TRAsmitting CONcrete), invented by Hungarian architect Áron Losonczi, is a concrete building material which can display light and shadow. “Thousands of optical glass fibers form a matrix and run parallel to each other between the two main surfaces of every block,” Losonczi explained in an article for a photonics industry trade magazine.
In fact, each fiber of glass acts as a “light pipe” transmitting light from one end of the fiber to the other. Although Litracon is only 5% glass by volume, the thousands of thin strands give each block a glowing weightless quality, and, because the strands are made of high quality Schott crystal, the blocks can be several meters thick without losing any of the light quality. “Shadows on the lighter side will appear with sharp outlines on the darker one. Even the colors remain the same.” Losonczi said in the trade magazine article. “This special effect creates the general impression that the thickness and weight of a concrete wall will disappear.”
“Load-bearing structures can also be built from the blocks as glass fibers do not have a negative effect on the well-known high compressive strength of concrete. The blocks can be produced in various sizes with embedded heat isolation too,” the inventor added.
The product won the German “Red Dot 2005 Design Award“ for “highest design qualities” and was named by Time Magazine as one of the most innovative discoveries of 2004.
— Kim Harty