Architectural self-compacting concretes and their color stability for 10 years

The aim of this research work was to study the color's behavior in pigmented or nonpigmented concretes after ten years exposure to an industrial environment. The fresh and hardened properties correspond to those of self- compacting concretes. On two different surfaces the color was characterized using the CIELAB model, while the color variation differences were determined by means of the CIEDE1976 formula to compare the initial aesthetic values with those measured after ten years exposure. The experimental results showed the effect of each surface exposure condition. The final state was evaluated by comparing the difference in darkness between the most and least exposed surfaces. Finally, the samples retained their original hue and chromaticity.