The world's foremost resource on decorative concrete
For the first time since 1994, concrete provided the vast majority of the structural elements for The New American Home (TNAH), the official show home of the National Association of Home Builders that debuted during the 2004 International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas.
Just like there’s more than one way to make chocolate chip cookies, there are plenty of ways to build concrete homes with satisfying results. Here’s a synopsis of the main options on the market.
Fu-Tung Cheng designed this concrete home currently under construction on the island of Culebra off the coast of Puerto Rico, smack dab in an area known as Hurricane Alley. Because of its location on a wind-swept mountainside, the house has to be built to withstand hurricane forces and concrete was the logical choice.
Quick-Imprint creates a reusable form liners — for tilt-up, downcast, and vertical precast pours — enabling an imprint finish on both sides of the walls.
On the heels of the concrete countertop trend, terrazzo is making its way into the kitchen. Steve Jarred, a field representative for Mason Supply Co. in Eugene, Ore., says one of the most popular applications for terrazzo in the Pacific Northwest right now is for countertops.
Photo courtesy of TerrazzoCo
