Concrete is essential to many public works projects, such as bridges, sidewalks, and parking garages. Where it is used, it is mostly unremarkable in appearance. But a new concrete mixture is shining new light on, and through, this ubiquitous substance.

LiTraCon, translucent concrete blocks, invented and patented by Aron Losonczi, a young Hungarian architect, is turning boring concrete into something to look at.

Short for “light transmitting concrete,” LiTraCon is made by mixing optical fibers into a combination of crushed stone, cement, and water. Thousands of fibers running side by side horizontally transmit light between the two main surfaces in each block.

LiTraCon blocks are only five percent optical fiber, so they provide the same structural performace as regular concrete.

An exhibit at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. recently displayed light transmitting concrete and other innovative uses of concrete. When someone stands on one side of a wall of LiTraCon blocks with light shining from behind, the person’s shadow could be seen on the other side.

The first use of light transmitting concrete blocks was in a public square in Stockholm, Sweden. During the day, it looks like a regular sidewalk, but at night, the blocks are illuminated by lights below.

Urban planners and architects have begun to think of other uses, both aesthetic and practical, for these blocks. Used in emergency stairwells, they could allow daylight to light the way even if a power failure occurs. Daylight could also brighten otherwise dreary places, such as underground subway stations and parking garages. Speed bumps could be illuminated from the inside, making them more visible at night.

Soon, concrete could be transformed from a material described as bulky and inhuman to airy and attractive.