Fabric-Formed Concrete

2005-

Status: Ongoing study

This work is part of a larger interest in the material of concrete which has a limitless potential for shaping and surfacing.  These pictures represent concrete formed with material such as rubber balloons, plastic sheeting, and canvas that have been sewn together to make formwork enabling casting of these types of shapes, even allowing “weaving” of concrete!  Concrete has been a building material since the Romans first learned that heated lime powder mixed with water when allowed to cure creates a hard material close to stone.  Concrete as a building material has traditionally been used as a substitute for stone or for structural purposes.  The research here attempts to demonstrate methods of forming concrete (typically with plywood) that yields a surface that is not flat and cold but resembling something like the folds of a blanket, making the material more approachable and conceivable as finishing material for buildings.

Design Research/Fabricator:

Paul Puzzello