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Exploring
Concrete Architecture Tone, Texture, Form
David Bennett
ISBN: 3764362715 Birkhauser
The
possibilities for concrete as a construction material are wide-ranging.
Exploring Concrete Architecture highlights the current vogue amongst European architects for expressing the functional and decorative potential of concrete in buildings and public spaces.
It describes how the individual architect has interpreted spatial and sculptural form and exploited concrete’s visual qualities; sometimes it has been juxtaposed in stark contrast with other materials for example glass, steel, and wood; sometimes it has been left as struck with ‘warts and all’ to reveal the formwork indentations and construction marks. Sometimes it has been painted to act as a canvas; sometimes it has been point tooled and diamond polished to expose the beauty of the aggregates and reveal the true colour of concrete beneath the surface skin.
Each project has been beautifully photographed during the construction phase and after building completion to reveal the integrity of the structure. Each project is well illustrated with design sketches, construction details and building arrangement drawings and provides details on the material choices, the surface finishes and construction approaches taken.
Amongst the projects included are David Chipperfield's Rowing Museum
in Henley-on-Thames, Ben van Berkel's Moebius House, Carme Pinos &
Enric Miralles' school building in Morella, Axel Schultes' crematorium
in Berlin and Sir Norman Foster's Social Science Centre.
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