Concrete Architecture

After a long period of being synonymous with urban deprivation and dreary stained surfaces, concrete is now chic. A favourite material of fashionable style magazines, it is becoming ubiquitous in shops, restaurants and even homes. Concrete is in fact a fabulous material, which can be used in a huge range of techniques and situations. Its colour, texture, and constituents vary, it may be cheaply mass produced, or meticulously crafted, and new developments and increased understanding of its possibilities are inspiring contemporary architects and designers. Concrete Architecture begins by asking these questions: What is concrete? What is its history? How is concrete used? How did concrete get a bad name and was this fair? What are the most recent developments in methods and materials? Why is concrete now so fashionable? The book goes on to look at recent architectural projects that use concrete for an enormous range of building types.