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Story of the Month
Concrete
Crush

Concrete is an endlessly versatile, beautifully simple material with timeless appeal. This month, we take a look at two big concrete news stories and highlight some of our innovative concrete materials.

 

After several delays due to the pandemic, the Pinault Collection has finally opened its doors in the iconic Bourse de Commerce building in central Paris. Since building work began in 2017, we were eager to see how one of our favourite architects, Tadao Ando, would re-imagine the space whilst keeping the building’s historical details and highlighting the impressive Pinault art collection.

Ando, known for his poetic use of concrete, took his signature material and built a twenty-nine metre wide, nine-metre tall open-top concrete cylinder in the space,  letting the light from the original glass dome flood in, exposing the 19th-century fresco on the ceiling. The cylinder has a walkway at its height to give spectacular views of the fresco and the architecture of the space and the matt faces of the concrete slabs are the perfect material choice to juxtapose against the historical majesty of La Bourse.

 

Another big Concrete story in the news this month was the completion and inhabitation of the first 3D printed concrete house in Europe. With its whimsical sausagey appearance and soft lines, it feels at once both futuristic and prehistoric. Composed of various parts that were 3D printed off-site before being assembled together on-site, it is the first in five houses that are planned in the city of Eindhoven (The Netherlands) as part of ‘Project Milestone’.

“’Project Milestone’ can rightly be seen as a milestone for many reasons. Not only when it comes to the technology and the builders, but also with respect to design, the municipality, the future occupant, and the landlord. When the first occupant receives the key, they have a home that meets the latest needs for comfort. Made sustainably and energy-efficient, but also comfortable, light and quiet, in fantastic wooded natural surroundings.”

From Project Milestone’s Website 

 

In 3D printing, the concrete used is optimized as it is able to be applied and layered where it is specifically needed for form and construction, unlike poured concrete which must be solid and uses a lot more primary material. The more concrete that is used, the more CO2 emissions are released, as greenhouse gasses are released when concrete is produced, so this new method is both energy-efficient and more environmentally friendly.

 

Here at American Supply, we have many different concrete-effect materials in our collection that give you the look and feel of concrete without the weight, environmental impact, and complications of their application, making them perfect for forward-thinking merchandising and POS solutions. These materials allow you to achieve the beautiful aspect of concrete without using massive amounts of raw materials and can be used for temporary or permanent applications depending on your needs.

If you are interested in any of these materials do not hesitate to contact us, and we will be happy to advise you technically and creatively for their availability and application methods.