The concrete and cement sector has been trying to reduce its environmental impact for years through sustainable concrete mixtures or efficient designs.
Now, a research team at the University of Pennsylvania has combined both novel materials and a material-saving design, without compromising on strength and durability.
The project, called Diamanti, takes inspiration from nature and uses a robotic 3D printer to create complex, lattice-like patterns with a sustainable concrete mixture.
While most regular concrete absorbs carbon dioxide (up to 30% of its production emissions over its entire life cycle, according to some research), Diamanti’s enhanced concrete mixture absorbs 142% more carbon dioxide than conventional concrete mixes.
Its first design, a pedestrian bridge, uses 60% less material while retaining mechanical strength, says Masoud Akbarzadeh, an associate professor of architecture at the University of Pennsylvania and director of the lab that spearheaded the project.
I feel like you similarly project a lot onto me right now. I didn’t say using the word “chick” is as bad as the n-word. And I’m also not super mad about you using it. In fact, I tried to just casually point out that it’s not the coolest word to use. The problem is, and here I brought in a similar discussion led when talking about slurs, that it is often very tedious to discuss with privileged people who cling to those words because they don’t want to give up the freedom to use those terms. These kinds of discussions tend to be less constructive and more heated. It seems you are very defensive about this yourself, otherwise, why would you write multiple long responses about it?
In short, sorry, if I came off super aggressive. I really just meant it to be a friendly reminder, that we should from time to time check our language and that in my eyes “chick” is a very demeaning term. Do what you want with it, I would feel safer in this community, if you’d stop using “chick” to talk about women.
Thank you for the reasoned response. I’ve been blindsided by the reaction, given that it’s just part of what I say.
But I do want to say that you’re making a blanket statement. Go to a rave, a punk show or a BDSM event, and this is standard terminology. Like, I’m part of the counter-culture, and part of what we intentionally do is piss people off.
It’s not to be exclusionary; rather, it’s to point out that one view is not all views. What’s saddening is that the reaction is “but you should have a different lens.” This is where I take issue.
This said, if “chick” is the problem we face as a country, thank god we have universal healthcare, poverty has been erased, and cancer has been cured.