Concrete Evidence

We explore the versatility of concrete for your home.

FOR YEARS HOMEOWNERS CONSIDERED USING CONCRETE products for exterior use only. Well, times have certainly changed … and so have the properties of concrete. Once relegated to commercial installations, concrete is continually finding its way into homes with leading edge design. The sleekness of concrete blends well with many of the modern and retro styles popular with so many architects and designers today. Concrete surfaces are commonly being used for residential flooring, kitchen countertops, tiles and furniture. To date, one of my favorite mediums to work with is concrete. Because of its fluid nature, the versatility of this product is endless. It conforms to almost any shape and space, and can be colored, scored, textured, and embellished to mimic unique surfaces. The products that can be derived from concrete range from simple countertops to complex furniture and accessories (including vanities, dining tables, benches, beds, and seating).

Edmonton’s own Urban Concrete has produced many concrete art forms ranging from fi replace panels and tables, to a great selection of oversized tiles. The key to this lighter weight concrete is using a product called GFRC – glass fiber reinforced concrete. The glass fiber reinforcement results in a product with much higher flexural and tensile strengths than normal concrete, allowing its use in thinwall casting applications. With GFRC, concrete can be cast in thinner sections, making it as much as 75% lighter than similar pieces cast with traditional concrete. In addition, a piece of concrete made with GFRC is generally twice as strong as a piece that is made with traditional concrete reinforced with steel. This allows thinner pieces to be used in many situations, such as countertops, wall panels and decorative pieces. This lightweight, durable material can be cast into unlimited shapes, colors and textures and ultimately requires very low maintenance. The product is safe, energy efficient, weather and fire resistant. GFRC allows limitless design with what can be created, producing what would be considered to be sustainable art, every single time.

In a collaborative effort with Urban Concrete and Mod Studio, we wanted to explore the possibility of creating detailed wall panels that could be used in different combinations to create various patterns. We plunged forth in an attempt to design a concrete wall panel that was reflective of a modern zebra pattern. The intricacy of this pattern would have been a difficult task to produce using a traditional concrete mixture, but using the GFRC blend allowed the precise relief required to give the pattern not only dimension but stability. Urban Concrete completely captivated our attention when they produced a table using a wood/ concrete combination. The fusion of both organic materials combined to form interesting textures and movement that transformed a typical functional piece of furniture into an art piece that can be enjoyed for many years to come. Incorporating natural elements such as wood, metal, concrete and glass into your design plans is a fantastic way to create high impact in any room of your home. Keeping an open mind to the endless possibilities of this versatile product (such as concrete) will allow any homeowner to create very specific designs without sacrificing style, both in the interior and exterior of your home.