While architects once considered concrete a building's underwear – an essential but hidden layer – Tadao Ando's structures display their concrete with pride. There's a story (which Ando's team declined to confirm) that is used to illustrate how seriously Ando takes the material: when the architect, a former boxer, saw a construction worker ash a cigarette into the concrete mixture for one of Ando's buildings, he reportedly slugged the man.
Over the course of his nearly 50-year career, Ando has helped transform the gritty, grey material often associated with driveways and median strips into an artistic medium. "Every architect I know who wants to do something in concrete always refers to him as the ideal in concrete design," says Reg Hough, a US-based international concrete consultant who has for decades worked closely with top architects, including Ando, IM Pei, and Richard Meier.
Having left his mark on cities from Tokyo to Fort Worth to Milan, Ando is now overseeing construction of a seven-unit concrete-and-glass condominium building, 152 Elizabeth, his first stand-alone structure in New York City.
Ando is hardly the first architect to embrace concrete; he cites the brutalist architect Le Corbusier, an earlier concrete virtuoso, as an influence. But while Le Corbusier and his peers used concrete in ways that suggested a heavy ruggedness – Prince Charles ungenerously described Owen Luder's now demolished brutalist Tricorn Centre in Portsmouth, Britain, as a "mildewed lump of elephant droppings" – Ando's concrete, which is smooth to the touch, seems more like cashmere.
Read more: http://www.afr.com/lifestyle/home-design/luminous-in-concrete-architect-tadao-andos-manhattan-tour-de-force-20170418-gvmyw1
Concretebroker provides the tools, information and resources to purchase and pour concrete.
Find what you need to know for your next concreting project here
HOW MUCH CONCRETE, STEEL AND ACCESSORIES DO I NEED?
And how much do concrete slabs cost in Australia?
WHAT MAKES A GOOD CONCRETER?
Are you cut out to be a good concreter?
HOW TO POUR A CONCRETE DRIVEWAY IN THE USA
How to Pour a Concrete Driveway by Sciulli Concrete
I'VE NOW GOT PROBLEMS WITH MY SLAB
What was the cause?
And how can I prevent it from happening next time?
HERE'S TEN "DON'T DO'S" WHEN IT COMES TO POURING AND FINISHING CONCRETE
Inadequate concrete finishing can lead to surface imperfections
WHY DID MY CONCRETE CRACK?
Who's fault is it?
HOW TO POUR A CONCRETE SLAB BY THE FAMILY HANDYMAN
Watch this clip for some Do It Yourself tips ideal for your next pour
HOW TO BUILD FORMWORK
With our friends at Bunnings Warehouse we'll show you the basics for building formwork for a concrete slab
HOW TO LAY A CONCRETE SLAB
Follow Cement Australia's comprehensive step by step guide to laying your own slab
TO SEAL OR NOT TO SEAL
Thinking of sealing or resealing your concrete? Find out what you need to know here
DID YOU KNOW THERE’S A DOZEN THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN ORGANISING YOUR CONCRETE POUR?
Check in with concretebroker’s dozen before your next concrete pour. Before it’s too late
I NEED CONCRETE. HOW DO I CHOOSE A CONCRETE PLANT?
Concretebroker gives you half a dozen things to look out for when choosing a concrete plant
SHOULD I POUR CONCRETE TODAY?
Every day concretors and construction managers tear their hair out unsure of whether they should or shouldn't pour concrete due to the weather
conditions
SO TELL ME, IS CONCRETE ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE?
Now running the Association’s National Precast Concrete Association office from Adelaide, Sarah Bachman gives us some insight
CAN I POUR CONCRETE IN THE RAIN?
We hear much these days about pouring concrete on hot, dry windy day. But what about when it's raining?
THE CONCRETEBROKER DICTIONARY VOLUME 1 (AUSTRALIAN EDITION)
Your comprehensive guide to the most popular abbreviations, definitions, phrases, slang and terms used within the industry.
HERE'S HALF A DOZEN HINTS TO HELP YOU BEFORE ORDERING A CONCRETE PUMP
Concrete pumps can save man hours, time and therefore money, but there are some important things to consider before you hire one
TEN (THATS 10) MINUTE CRACK REPAIR. YOUR'E KIDDING AREN'T YOU? Cracks in Concrete - forget about them in ten minutes - just watch this
video
WOOD CONCRETE - HOW TO MAKE CONCRETE LOOK LIKE WOOD FLOORING
Is that concrete? Or a timber floor? Watch this video to find out....
HOW TO LAY A SMALL CONCRETE PAD
Another look at how to lay a small concrete slab from DIY Network.com
LETS TALK ABOUT STEEL FIBRES
Mesh sits in the middle of your concrete slab and is quite cumbersome. What do steel fibres do?
EVER THOUGHT ABOUT PLACING A PATTERN ON YOUR CONCRETE?
BRICKFORM show how to properly stamp concrete from start to finish
HOW TO POUR AND FINISH CONCRETE
YouTube handyman and alround good guy Russ Richards shows us how to finish a slab properly
NEED A CONCRETE TEST
Check in with Valley Civilab, our latest member for all your concrete, soil and aggregate testing needs
CONCRETE CAN BE A SPONGE FOR AIR POLLUTION
Concrete surfaces can remove sulfur dioxide, a major contributor to air pollution, from the air, new research suggests
FLOOR COATINGS EXPLAINED
An overview of floor coatings and a quick look at whats happening in the floor coating market overseas
COLORED CONCRETE IS TAKING OVER AND WE'RE VERY INTO IT
Pink? Blue? A watercolory ivory? You choose!
TALK TO ME ABOUT CONCRETE AND STEEL ACCESSORIES
What accessories are used in the standard concrete slab? And where do I buy them from?
BEWARE THE COLD JOINT
Cold joints in concrete are your worst nightmare. But how do they occur and how do we prevent them from happening?
