Concrete’s Materiality and Its Influence on Modern Architecture
Presented By: Ann Harrer
Affiliation: Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.
Description: Concrete has been a popular construction material since antiquity and has been used by the modern construction industry for well over a century. Concrete serves a dual purpose, playing a significant role in both structural and architectural needs. Exposed architectural concrete is often a defining characteristic of modernist structures. Architects such as Le Corbusier, Louis Kahn, Tadao Ando, Minoru Yamasaki, and Welton Becket used concrete as architectural elements in their designs. The use of concrete as a building material unbridled the creativity of architects in modern construction. The advancements in concrete construction technologies, including the availability of new materials in post-war America, permitted increases in the opportunity for concrete architectural expression. Exposed formboard finish and small details, such as form tie holes, become character-defining features specifically related to the use of concrete. In the design of concrete as a modernist architectural material, care and attention was paid to the concrete’s material constituents and construction methods, as these factors directly impacted the final aesthetic. This presentation will discuss the unique characteristics of concrete as a material that facilitated the creativity of modern architects and the necessary collaboration between designer and craftsman to build the world’s modernist concrete icons.
Advancements in Concrete Slab Technology: A Review of the Engineering, Aesthetics, and Applications
Presented By: Meysam Aghaei
Affiliation: Syracuse University
Description: This paper explores the evolution of concrete slab technologies through the lens of architectural design and form, revealing how aesthetic and functional integration drives modern construction innovations. By analyzing projects such as the HiLo Floor, Smart Slab, Stereoform Slab, and HOLEDECK systems, we illustrate the transformative potential of concrete technologies in achieving both visual impact and structural efficacy. Geometry optimized shells and stay in place digital formwork reduce concrete by up to 70?% and steel by 90?%, lightening sections and freeing designers to explore multiscale ornament, rib stiffened curvature and perforated grids that double as service voids. Novel low carbon mixes and advanced geometries—enabled by digital fabrication and computational design—thus deliver both structural efficiency and expressive form. Each case reveals how recycled aggregates, material optimization and hybrid mixes translate directly into richer spatial and visual qualities. Comparative study underscores the significance of architectural creativity in advancing concrete slab technologies, emphasizing the role of design in promoting environmental sustainability and structural innovation. The findings position environmental imperatives not as constraints but as catalysts for creative slab design, offering a transferable framework for architects and engineers pursuing both net zero performance and expressive form.
Is Vibration Messing-up Your Concrete Surfaces?
Presented By: Paul Jaworski
Affiliation: Minnich Mfg
Description: The presentation will cover the recent and current research conducted for the rewrite of the new 309 guidance document. A look at the quality control effort for a successful vibrator energy matching of different concrete workabilities. The importance of the identification and mitigation of variances produced from the concrete processes that are present during the construction phase will be illustrated. The development of pre-construction “real time” testing tools and procedures to help limit surface blemishes will be presented. I will be weaving in the vibration effort to work with forming, admixtures, and preconstruction preparation.
Pre Construction Planning – Objectives, Expectations, Intent Impact to Aesthetics
Presented By: Chris Forster
Affiliation:
Description: All Successful Architectural projects have one thing in common. The Owners, Design team, and Construction team are all on the same page with what the goals are, and how to achieve them for the project. Attendees will learn various techniques used, along with the ACI support Documents that can be referenced to make the preconstruction process on a highly architectural project a success.
Formwork Surfaces Selection Impact to Aesthetics
Presented By: Ken Pratt
Affiliation: Swanson Group
Description: When selecting the forming surface for your formwork, how do you know the exact finish it is going to provide? This presentation will help clarify different forming products in the market and how they impact the aesthetics of the finish concrete. How selection of forming product is critical in the success of a project that starts with the pre-project-planning phase.
Materials and Methods in Concrete Mix selection impacts to Aesthetics: CalSTRS Headquarters, West Sacramento, CA
Presented By: Tarek Khan
Affiliation:
Description: The architect and owner of a 10-story building planned for West Sacramento read about “The Reach” at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC and wanted a similar architectural concrete finish. Working closely with the design team, the general contractor, who self-performed concrete, the formwork contractor, a ready-mixed concrete producer and an admixture company, the team perfected the form liner, placement and consolidation techniques and mix design to achieve the owner’s desired look and feel. Simultaneously, the owner’s interest in achieving high scores on several building performance ratings systems, including LEED, drove the concrete mixtures to contain significant quantities of SCMs in place of Portland cement. The results are stunning!