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Who built the timber formwork for fair-faced reinforced concrete?
Published in João Mascarenhas-Mateus, Ana Paula Pires, Manuel Marques Caiado, Ivo Veiga, History of Construction Cultures, 2021
Before its gradual replacement by prefabricated formwork panel systems in the 1970s, formwork constructions for in-situ reinforced concrete were mostly of timber (Austin 1960; Bächer 1971; Häberli 1966). When concrete is cast in a timber formwork, the wooden boards imprint their pattern onto the non-treated building surfaces. Any defects in the formwork are later visible on the finished surface. Therefore, high-quality exposed concrete surfaces have to be seen as the skilled product of formwork carpentry. The quality of the craftsmanship can still be observed in the non-treated formwork imprints on concrete surfaces, which started to be left uncovered in the post-war period in Germany in the 1960s and 1970s, particularly on the brutalist designs then in vogue. The use of exposed concrete in construction was not, however, only a design feature reflecting a change in the aesthetic trends in architecture but was related to the developments in concrete technology and formwork carpentry. This progress is largely a result of the involvement of carpenters in the timber formwork.
Aspects of the integral teaching of structures and architectural design
Published in Paulo J.S. Cruz, Structures and Architecture: Bridging the Gap and Crossing Borders, 2019
Ravnikar’s contribution to modern, post-WWII Slovenian architecture is not measured only by the number of graduated architects who significantly contributed to the reputation of Slovenian architecture, including Savin Sever, Oton Jugovec, Milan Mihelič, Miloš Bonča, Grega Košak, Janez Lajovic, Stanko Kristl and Ilija Arnautović, but primarily by his direct responsibility for the assertion of the term “Slovenian 60s architecture” (i.e. architecture in a slightly broader sense, created from 1950-1975) through structural consistency and theoretical clarity (Koselj, 1995). Architecture created by Ravnikar and his students can be described as structural, regional, modernist, structurally expressive, materially sincere, contextual, experimental and visually perfected. Through the application of modern materials, such as reinforced concrete and steel, in combination with classic brick and wood, their architecture simultaneously relates to the then-current European structuralism (Valena, Avermaete, & Vrachliotis, 2011) and brutalist movement, although (Ravnikar, 1960) at the same time highlights his regional and historically conditioned origin.
Continuities and discontinuities
Published in Piyush Tiwari, Jyoti Rao, Delhi's Changing Built Environment, 2017
Among noteworthy examples of buildings constructed during 1960s and 1970s, which draw upon Le Corbusier’s works, are the Akbar Hotel (1969) (modern-day Akbar Bhawan) (Figure 4.87) and Shri Ram Centre (1969) by Shiv Nath Prasad (Figure 4.86). The former relies heavily on the Le Corbusier-designed Unite d’habitation (1952) in Marseilles, while the latter is much more original in form. Very faithful to the Rationalist ideology, Shri Ram Centre uses pure geometric forms, each of which is identified with the function they serve. As sculptures of reinforced concrete, these buildings are at times categorised under Brutalist architecture in Delhi. However, Lang (2002) explains that the exposure of building material and construction technique, as observed in buildings from 1970s, was the necessity of austerity more than being the aesthetic of Brutalism. In fact the inspiration for exposing rustic building materials lay in Indian vernacular architecture, and it happened that Brutalism concept in Europe paralleled to what was happening in India for other reasons (Lang, 2002).
Mastering the Hard Stuff: The History of College Concrete-Canoe Races and the Growth of Engineering Competition Culture
Published in Engineering Studies, 2019
Engineers and industry especially appreciated the chance to stress favorable impressions of concrete, given the substance’s often-negative connotations. The 1950s to 1970s represented the heyday of Brutalist architecture. Designs such as Le Corbusier’s 1952 Marseille apartment complex Unite d’ Habitation aimed to represent rugged functionality, stripping away meaningless ornamentation.48 Fans promoted ‘raw concrete’ as tangible authenticity, lending striking muscularity to buildings. Architecture writer Leonard Koren praised Brutalism as ‘three-dimensional poetry’ that sculpted dramatic angles, intersecting spaces, and variegated textures.49