Concrete Moulds

The use of concrete in construction is probably one of the main trademarks of the architecture in the 20th century. Concrete is composed of a combination of materials which when mixed with water solidify into the shape of the container where it is poured in. In this sense, it is the container or the ‘moulds’ who rule the form of the outcome. The reuse of moulds for casting concrete is a technique used to replicate and control the production of concrete elements or buildings. Architects and designers have used/create diverse type of moulds and casting techniques to explore the limits of the material.

In 1899, Thomas Alva Edison found a concrete company that produced high-quality Portland cement. Drunk with ambition, he looked for ways to utilise concrete to produce full objects: refrigerators, pianos and, particularly, entire houses. In the 1910s, he successfully cast some house prototypes pouring the concrete in a single shot. However, the casting moulds were very complicated to assemble as they were composed of more than 2,300 pieces; consequently, just few houses were built. Edison was searching for a construction process that could be easily replicated to achieve ‘mass’ in production and, thus, sell more concrete. His “failure” was not a concern of the material, but of misunderstanding the construction system.

During the 60s, 70s and 80s, the Soviet Union was under radical urban development. Entire buildings and cities were designed in central offices and constructed all around the Soviet territory. They decided to develop standardised concrete panels that could be arranged to consolidate multi-storey buildings. Examples can be spotted all around Europe (Karl Marx Straße in Magdeburg and Berlin) and Russia. The city of Tashkent could be highlighted as the best example to observe all the different types and possible arrangements of these concrete panels, including decorative and stylistic patterns.

Also during the 60s, the Cuban architects Mercedes Álvarez and Hugo D’acosta designed some prototypes of shell-type detached house units, which furniture and window shutters were integrated to the concrete structure and shell. The prototypes had problems controlling pluvial water and its shape did not merge with the urban contexts. As a response, the Cuban government opt for the utilisation of other concrete panel construction systems, like the ‘Multiflex’ system, which was closer to the Soviet approach. The concrete panels were considered the most practicable construction system.

It was until1967, that the Israeli/Canadian architect Moshe Safdie successfully conceive tridimensional concrete modules. ‘Habitat’ is one of the most acclaimed cult projects in Architecture, probably because it is appreciated for its grey aesthetics and messy arrangement. Its design is based on a logic conception of modularity, which is by itself an architectural manifesto. Safdie opened the door to concrete modular design and made concrete panels look as something from the past.

Concrete is, and will remain, an elemental construction element; and even its materiality remains consistent over time, its limits (in form and use) are far from being fully explored. History has demonstrated that concrete construction is mainly determined by the mould used and not in the material itself. Therefore, the casting techniques have to be considered as relevant as an integral part of a concrete element.

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