Beautiful Concrete Artistry Across The World

15 th Feb 2016

Concrete Artistry Across The World

We love concrete

Concrete is pretty amazing. It’s extremely tough and durable. It has incredible weight baring capacity. And its beauty has been discovered and uncovered by many structural artists around the world. In this article we feature a few examples of concrete artistry that we’ve marvelled at. We hope you do too.

What is concrete?

First, the groundwork. Concrete is a ceramic-matrix composite consisting of aggregate, a cement matrix and water. The aggregate particles provide the strength and the cement provides the workability.

Pedestrian footbridge – underneath side

In 1824, Joeseph Aspdin, of Leeds, England, developed Portland cement. It would become the most common type of concrete used today. The name is due to its resemblance to the natural stone found on the British island of Portland.

Portland cement is made by mixing limestone with silica, alumina, and iron oxide. These substances are then burned until they fuse together and the resulting admixture is ground to form Portland cement.

Other larger stones, called aggregates, make up 60–80% of the volume of concrete. Aggregates increase the strength of concrete and reduce its cost. Best of all, it’s the aggregate that gives concrete its hidden inner beauty.

Beautiful exposed aggregate visible in this concrete floor

Concrete awesomeness

Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy

The Buzludzha Communist Monument in Bulgaria is an antiquated and abandoned monument from a forgotten era. Its awe inspiring beauty is still very much alive and well.

The Bella Sky Hotel in Copenhagen, Demark, is as daring as it is beautiful. Stretching towards the sky, this concrete masterpiece has 800+ rooms over 23 floors.

concrete floor 1 — Concrete flooring that is fashion as much as it is functional.

concrete floor 2 — Designs that have been etched or impressed into the concrete flooring

Polished concrete floor with glow in the dark aggregate

outdoor and indoor polished concrete — Indoors meets outdoors with this polished concrete flooring solution

high gloss concrete floor — Luxury high gloss polished concrete floors

These concrete floors provide a luxury mirror effect

residential concrete flooring — Flooring and furniture in polished concrete

The magic material

Is there anything that can’t be built with concrete? If you have concrete surfaces in and around your home, then you may want to bring it to life. Investigate honing and polishing concrete to bring out its natural beauty. Polished concrete will even brighten a room by adding a light reflective surface.

If you are feeling inspired by the opportunities of concrete – contact us today.