Material research Reinforcing a material to increase the properties of that material is used for many years. A well known example is reinforced concrete, where the tensile strength is increased by steel reinforcement. Depending on the type and the fi bre of the reinforcement, there are many possibilities to enhance the properties of the concrete. This form of enhancement of the material, by adding a fi bre to a mixture, can also be used for ice. Concrete and ice have a relative high compressive strength, the added reinforcement enhances the tensile strength of the mixture. Research has been done on reinforcing ice with soil, wood and other particles in order to increase its mechanical strength and reduce its brittle behaviour. However, the reinforced ice use as a structural material is still a rather experimental fi eld. The application of materials snow and ice as natural building materials has been used for ages. Indigenous arctic people have used ice and snow as a construction material for a long time The oldest and bestknown ice construction is the igloo, made by Inuit (Eskimo). The aesthetic and environmentally friendly behaviour of ice as a building material has drawn the professional attention of researchers and designers mostly since mid-20th century. Together with Universities from all over the world we did research on cellulose fi bre reinforced Ice. We want to thank Tulikivi for off ering their research centre and Stora Enso for providing 30 tons of cellulose. 32
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