Architect and Builder August/September 2019 | Page 54

minimise the impact of concrete manufacturing
on the environment, the team used a reduction of
ordinary Portland cement content throughout all
concrete in the building. The architecture would not
have been possible without the use of concrete and
extensive workshopping by the team, resulting in
a modern, functional and impressive new building.
The economics, versatility, strength and dura-
bility of concrete, together with the available skills
in the construction industry, makes concrete as a
construction material a natural choice. However,
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selecting concrete as a material for feature elements
takes this choice to the next level. Concrete not
only adds to the natural strong base required in the
architecture but also exhibits the architecture in a
more economical and durable way by means of
managing the finish and crack control. The durability
of concrete will allow for lower future maintenance
costs while the versatility allowed flowing patterns
to be created cost effectively.
The cost-effective use of concrete as floor
slabs and for shear walls and its characteristic
Water & Sanitation