Award-winning translucent concrete technology for smart cities
LCT light & concrete technology is a major international supplier of translucent concrete that is currently entering the German market. Its technology has been patented worldwide and combines concrete and plastics whilst integrating LED lighting systems. LCT manufactures translucent floor slabs, curbstones and façade panels; the company primarily targets the public sector and the construction industry. According to LCT experts, smart cities are a particularly promising market segment. Energy-efficient, cost-effective lighting systems for public spaces are in great demand.
Headquartered in Austria, LCT GesmbH received several international awards and is a new entrant to the German translucent concrete market. The company was founded in 2010 and specializes in the industrial production of translucent concrete, where it has attained global leadership. The patented LCT technology enables the cost-effective manufacture of translucent concrete, which is an exceedingly complex product that is in increasingly high demand for public spaces. “Visually appealing, environmentally friendly lighting systems that contribute to public safety are in great demand in cities with its increasingly dense traffic areas,” says LCT CEO Alexander Haider, who oversees sales activities on the German market jointly with his partner and co-CEO, Dieter Chris-tandl. “This is why we consider smart cities to be a major growth market,” Christandl agrees.
Translucent concrete ensures better guidance
Besides visual reasons, such as façade design aspects, urban residential areas and green spaces are the perfect fit for using translucent concrete to ensure sustainable energy consumption. The LCT lighting technology enables demand-driven lighting of streets and pavements at night. “Our lighting management ensures that walkways are lit only when accessed by pedestrians. This is a handy, environmentally friendly solution that makes expensive permanent lighting a thing of the past,” Haider explains.
According to most recent studies, pedestrians get increasingly distracted by their smartphones whilst crossing roads. Even on crossroads, they sweep and tap on their mobile devices without looking up. Colored translucent concrete surfaces can counteract this distraction even under daylight conditions. LCT also focuses on supplying guidance elements for the visually impaired in road traffic. “Tactile guidance systems, such as the ones we produce, provide even more effective support than conventional systems for the blind, which usually only include grooved or nubbed strips incorporated in the pavement,” adds lighting expert Haider.
Awards
Translucent concrete can also be used in light-based orientation systems to help overcome language barriers and to provide more effective guidance to people who are not familiar with the city environment. One such example is the multi-colored lighting of certain footpaths or walkways at railway stations, in shopping malls or medical cen-ters. “We even go so far as to light certain zones around football stadiums that supporters should go to in order to access their dedicated stand. This system provides better guidance to spectators whilst also supporting the organizers of such major events,” says Haider.
LCT has already received several awards for its path-breaking lighting solutions, including, most recently, two Delegate Choice Awards handed to the company at the Smart Lighting Summit 2017 in Melbourne, Australia, for the most innovative product and best design.
