Foreword
Concrete is a remarkable building material, but despite its widespread presence, it is frequently an inconspicuous part of our built environment, often hidden in structures, foundations and similar parts of buildings. Sometimes, however, it stands out in an architectural structure that makes use of its material properties, is highlighted in smooth exposed concrete or deliberately roughened surfaces, plays with structures, or transforms seemingly unbuildable visions into reality. “Concrete is everywhere”, is the usual brief aphoristic or prosaic lament heard when thoughts turn to the “architectural sins” of the recent past. Yet concrete as a material does not dictate any particular application. It has its own material properties but no inherent form or texture – on the contrary: concrete harbours a wealth of potential that should be used. Concrete also polarises people like no other building material because for all its unobtrusiveness, it is too often present and is too ubiquitous to be overlooked or ignored. Its importance to all the world’s societies and national economies makes it essential to their development and prosperity. What concrete means at the global level quickly becomes clear if we try to imagine our built environment without it: Technically and economically, it is almost impossible to substitute for an equivalent material. Today’s concrete construction methods are the product of a constantly continuing and mutually interdependent development of the construction material and construction methods, a development unparalleled for any other material in construction. The education of civil engineers concentrates mainly on concrete construction techniques and technology. Architecture students, in contrast, as well as studying the structural basics, tend to focus more on the material’s haptic and sensory side. The approaches differ for disciplinary and historic reasons, and despite all the change evident in both types of education, they will probably not change much in the foreseeable future. 6
The different approaches of the two types of professional education to the same topic highlight the need for more interdisciplinary cooperation and communication using a simple, universal technical language and terminology. The range of specialist literature available to architects on building with concrete is, however, relatively small, which makes it difficult to find advice for solving current challenges and for training and education purposes. This work is designed to be a compendium, which, in its selection of content and style of presentation, opens up and explains current concrete construction techniques and tech nology, mainly to architects, clearly and with a comprehensible breadth of expertise. The use of concrete and other cement-bonded building materials has expanded greatly in recent decades, so it would be impossible to provide a complete overview of the potential of concrete construction techniques within the limits of this book. Instead, this work focuses on presenting the fundamentals of the main aspects and applications of concrete construction and their technical, formal and regulatory backgrounds. The “Concrete Construction Manual” by KindBarkauskas, Kauhsen, Polónyi and Brandt (2001/2009) has an established position in the Edition DETAIL “Atlas of Construction” series. After a detailed introduction on the material’s history, the focus is on a comprehensive section on the basics of classic civil engineering and fundamental structures. The “Modern Concrete Construction Manual” emphasises both continuing quality and renewed content in the face of changing demands on architects. With a view to the current requirements made on architecture and planning, the book concentrates more on building construction and the related possibilities in designing with concrete and especially on its haptic and sensory properties, which tend to be less important in civil engineering. There is also a focus on current topics such as energy efficiency, sustainability and restoration and renovation of concrete and steel reinforced concrete buildings.