Concrete – making the mind‘s daring structural designs a reality
increasingly being recognised and appreciated by planners and architects.
It soars to huge heights and bridges massive spans. It is present above and below ground and has had a greater impact on the architecture of the last century than any other material. The former President of Germany Theodor Heuss described it as the »building material of the century«, while for the world-renowned Italian architect Pier Luigi Nervi it was both »king and servant in construction«. What we‘re talking about here is of course concrete, the most modern and economical building material of our time. Whether reticently plain or breath- takingly bold, concrete presents many different faces to the world. It determines the character of individual structures or entire residential areas and has an influence on cityscapes and working environments. Once regarded as grey, uniform and ugly, concrete‘s image has been poor for some time. But times are changing. In recent years, thanks to new techniques and innovative processes, not only has the quality of concretes improved, but there are also more options for making creative and attractive use of these materials. As in the past, concrete is still distinguished by a huge loading capacity, shapeabi- lity and versatility, but now a vast range of visual effects and textures may also be achieved. The particular aesthe- tics of fair-faced concrete surfaces are
Concrete – »king and servant in construction«
Concrete, like other building materials, is nevertheless also exposed to the ravages of time. As a result of a lack of awareness regarding the inter- relationships between chemistry, building physics and structural design, errors were made in building with concrete, in particular in the 1950s and
Preserving and providing lasting protection for concrete
thereafter, the consequences of which have been evident for some time. The complexi- ty of the patterns of decay and their causes must be matched by an equally
Resurgence in concrete construction
nuanced approach to renovation in accord- ance with not only the technical but also the aesthetic objectives
of the architect. This brochure pro- vides a nuanced response to this problem and indicates
efficient and e c o n om i c solutions.
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