DETAIL 12.2020

From the editorial 12.2020

The focus on concrete in the current issue brings this year’s thematic series to a close. Our project selection shows the potential of this material, both in terms of construction and its qualities in urban and interior contexts. We document new buildings and renovations featuring plastered facades or exposed concrete, coloured white or anthracite, and offering exciting contrasts through their material combinations.

Bernardo Bader complemented the dark concrete surfaces of his combined studio and residential building in Bregenz with light coloured, rough-cut wood panelling and brass stair railings. Peruvian architects Barclay & Crousse added levity to the concrete facade of their apartment building in Lima with a vertical brise soleil made of locally sourced marble. And BDR bureau used a combination of smooth and coarse-grained plaster structures to underscore the skeletal structure of a school in Turin, which they renovated and made more energy efficient. Frank Kaltenbach introduces the new extension of the state library in Stuttgart by LRO, a white monolith in a busy urban location. And Matthias Beckh takes a look at the tradition of concrete shells and their potential for the future.