4. Technical and economic selection criteria

Today, architectural concrete is combined with most construction materials - glass, steel and wood - to offer technically and economically efficient solutions, enabling architects to create complex, open-plan volumes and envelopes that are easy to install thanks to the use of simple, durable assembly systems. Elements produced in this way can be load-bearing, self-supporting, supported or suspended from the structure.

• Cost of facing concrete

  Depending on the nature of the constituents (cement, aggregates, admixtures, colorants), a facing concrete can cost 3 to 4 times as much as a standard concrete.

  This makes it economically attractive to combine one or more facing concretes with a lower-cost mass concrete (usually grey). The industrialist uses appropriate molding techniques to manufacture...