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Building Materials Lab
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A lab that studies concrete and polymers from a materials science perspective to make buildings last longer.
AboutAbout the lab
Making buildings last longer and stay safe, through materials science
The Building Materials Lab does research from a materials science standpoint so that buildings and structures can be used longer, more conveniently, and more safely.
The lab focuses on two main subjects: concrete, an inorganic material, and polymers, an organic material.
Using both experiments and analysis, the lab emphasizes identifying how materials degrade and how to stop that degradation.
The lab also works on the use of waste in construction and on research that contributes to carbon neutrality.
Key terms
- Polymer
- A large molecule made of many small molecules linked together. It is the basis of materials such as plastics, paints, and adhesives.
- Carbon neutrality
- The idea of balancing emissions of CO2 and other gases against the amount absorbed or removed, so that the net total is zero.
- Carbonation
- A reaction in which CO2 in the air reacts with components of concrete and turns into calcium carbonate.
NewsLab news
A master's student won the Annual Paper Encouragement Award from the Japan Concrete Institute
Prof. Kitagaki won the Review Award from the Society of Materials Life
A study on accelerating carbonation of C-S-H through repeated wet-dry cycles was published in Construction and Building Materials
Master's and undergraduate students won the Excellent Student Award from the Japan Society of Architectural Finishing
Master's and undergraduate students won the Excellent Student Award from the Japan Building Materials Association
ResearchResearch themes
The lab's two main themes are concrete-based and polymer-based materials. Because real buildings use these in combination, the lab seeks to understand the properties and interactions of various materials, including the boundary between inorganic and organic.
*Illustrative imageHow polymer coatings degrade
The degradation mechanism of polymer composite materials such as urethane, which are used to repair building surfaces, is not yet understood. The lab experimentally tested the hypothesis that degradation changes the dimensions of the material, causing the filler inside to move and rearrange.
*Illustrative imageHow insulation degrades over long periods
In humid regions, it has been reported that foam plastic insulation absorbs water and conducts heat more easily within a short period. The lab identified the temperature and humidity conditions under which water suddenly accumulates, and succeeded in measuring the distribution of moisture inside the insulation.
*Illustrative imageConcrete that takes in CO2
The lab is developing technology that uses amines to promote CO2 fixation in concrete. It is working on two approaches: impregnating existing concrete, and adding the amine to the mix of new concrete.
*Illustrative imageHaving waste concrete absorb CO2
For waste concrete, which needs to be recycled, the lab is researching how to promote carbonation using atmospheric CO2 and granular samples, with practical costs in mind.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Building Materials Lab are faculty, visiting professors, secretaries, technical assistants, postdocs, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, and research students.As of 2026
- ProfessorRyoma Kitagaki
- Assistant ProfessorDayoung Oh
VoicesStudent voices
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Crushed Sioux Quartzite (upper Paleoproterozoic, b.y.) in concrete (Chamberlain, South Dakota, USA) 2” James St. John / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- How polymer coatings degrade: “Peeling paint 1” Daniel Schwen / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- How insulation degrades over long periods: “EPS insulation board” Energieeffiziente Dämmstoffe / CC0 (cropped)
- Concrete that takes in CO2: “Essais sur béton DSC 2155” Habib M’henni / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Having waste concrete absorb CO2: “Crushed Concrete Granular Fill” ChicagoConcrete, Chicagoland Concrete, Inc., http://www.chicagolandconcrete.com / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Environmental Functional Materials Engineering Lab): “The World's Longest 3D Printed Concrete Bridge” Municipality of Nijmegen/Michiel van der Kley / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Infrastructure Maintenance Systems Engineering Lab): “Taushubetsu-River-Bridge” MaedaAkihiko / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Structural Control Lab): “Base isolator beneath the Pasadena, California, City Hall” Keithalanporter / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Architectural Environment Lab): “Termografia manzoni” Geom. Claudio Longagnani / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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