Autoclaved Aerated Concrete

Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC), also known as autoclaved cellular concrete (ACC) or autoclaved lightweight concrete (ALC), was invented in the mid-1920s by the Swedish architect and inventor Johan Axel Eriksson. It is a lightweight, precast building material that simultaneously provides structure, insulation, and fire and mold resistance. AAC products include blocks, wall panels, floor and roof panels, and lintels.

It has been refined into a highly thermally insulating concrete-based material used for both internal and external construction. Besides AAC's insulating capability, one of its advantages in construction is its quick and easy installation, for the material can be routed, sanded, and cut to size on site using standard carbon steel bandsaws, hand saws, and drills.

Even though regular cement mortar can be used, 98% of the buildings erected with AAC materials use thin bed mortar, which comes to deployment in a thickness of ⅛ inch. This varies according to national building codes and creates solid and compact building members. AAC material can be coated with a stucco compound or plaster against the elements. Siding materials such as brick or vinyl siding can also be used to cover the outside of AAC materials.

AAC has been produced for more than 70 years, and it offers advantages over other cementitious construction materials, one of the most important being its lower environmental impact.

• AAC’s improved thermal efficiency reduces the heating and cooling load in buildings.
• AAC’s workability allows accurate cutting, which minimizes the generation of solid waste during use.
• AAC’s resource efficiency gives it lower environmental impact in all phases of its life cycle, from processing of raw materials to the disposal of AAC waste.
• AAC’s light weight also saves cost & energy in transportation.
• AAC's light weight saves labour