• Glass fiber reinforced concrete often uses recycled post-consumer glass.various glass bottles image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com
  
  Glass fiber reinforced concrete, also called GFRC and GRC, is a mixture of cement and specially treated glass fibers which resist alkalis. This material is used in architectural panels, especially building facades, but is nonstructural and cannot support other parts of the building. This material offers a number of benefits to architects, builders and homeowners.
  
  

Light Weight

• While glass fiber reinforced concrete is not lighter or lower density than normal concrete, it can be used in much thinner panels. This allows GFRC facade panels to be lighter and easier to manipulate than facades made from conventional concrete. This lighter weight also makes reinforced concrete panels cheaper and easier to transport and install.
  
  

Strength

• Despite their relatively light weight, GFRC panels are very strong. They provide better performance than unreinforced precast concrete. According to the Concrete Countertop Institute, these panels are designed to deal with seismic and wind loads, and flex rather than break. The Concrete Network states that GFRC can have flexural strength of as much as 4,000 psi. Panels made with single dimension reinforcing, where all the glass fibers point in the same direction, are stronger than panels with randomly scattered fibers.
  
  

Ease of Work

• GFRC is internally reinforced with glass fibers and does not require rebar or other internal reinforcement. This makes molding or spraying the material relatively easy. This material also doesn't crack easily, so workers can cut cured GFRC without worry of chipping, cracking or breaking. When the material is applied using a two-coat process, it also produces very smooth surfaces.
  
  

Environmental Impact

• The Concrete Network claims that GFRC is more environmentally friendly than conventional concrete. Cement production requires burning immense amounts of fossil fuels, giving it a significant environmental footprint. GFRC uses much less cement than ordinary concrete, since so much of it is made up of glass fibers. These glass fibers often come from recycled sources. This material is also very long-lasting. According to the Concrete Network, correctly manufactured GFRC can outlast conventional concrete and cast stone.