Brief 

The Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park in the UAE will be home to the world’s first building madde from conductive concrete. The material, which shields building contents from electromagnetic pulses, was designed to protect military and civilian infrastructure.

 

Insight

The world’s first building to be constructed using conductive concrete will come up at the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation (SRTI) Park, following a 14-year research by a team from the College of Engineering at the American University of Sharjah (AUS).

Conductive concrete provides protection from EMP [electromagnetic pulses] to buildings hosting sensitive equipment and information.

SRTI said in a press statement that the planned new building represents collaborative effort between the government, private and academic sectors on the Park’s land, with Alec Contracting Company executing the work.

The AUS research team is led by Professor Sherif Yehia from Civil Engineering and Professor Nasser Qaddoumi from Electrical Engineering

Qaddoumi said: “Conductive concrete can be the most effective solution for protecting critical civilian and military infrastructures (such as data centres, power stations, security centres, etc.) against electromagnetic threats ranging from cosmic rays to electromagnetic pulses”.

Yehia added: “After 14 years of research, testing and verification of specifications, we have now reached the stage of experimentation and practical application by constructing a building with this new mix of cement, which is an improved type of concrete by adding certain materials in specific proportions.”

The key advantages of conductive concrete, the statement noted, are shielding against EMP without the need for any special additions, improved mechanical properties, relatively lower costs compared to other shielding techniques and ability to be produced as precast units.

The statement said design and construction guidelines for future projects and implementation will also be developed by the research team.

 

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