Student Name
Muthoni Edward Ngugi
Project Supervisor
Prof. Jerry Magutu
Degree Programme
BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE
Status
Completed
Registration Number
B02/0906/2013
Academic Year
2018/2019
Project year
2018
Abstract

Both loved and loathed, concrete is forever at the diverging point of popular opinion. Having evolved for hundreds of years, the material has witnessed periods of rife usage and admiration alternating with years of disregard and disdain. While its strength in compression and durability is embraced by all, the appearance of concrete is the subject of unending disagreement. During the immediate post war years, the style Brutalism rose, espousing the use of unadorned concrete and the exposure of building functions. For a short while, the ism dominated world architecture only to wane not long after its inception by the likes of Le Corbusier. Why did brutalism fall out of favour with most people, and does the failure of brutalism signal the failure of concrete? The recent advancements in concrete research and technology are a tell-tale sign that concrete is remerging as the façade material of choice, this time backed by innovations from different parts of the world and ingenious technological advancements. It is up to architects to push concrete to the limit, it always has more to offer.