Architectural concrete with Dyckerhoff Weiss

Design and execution of architectural concrete surfaces

Fig. 1 Fair-faced concrete at „ German Museum“ in Berlin.

Fig. 2 Fair-faced concrete at the community center in Mannheim.

1 Architectural concrete surfaces are surfaces with more demanding requirements on their appearance. A comprehensive set of rules and standards is now available that establishes appropriate categories relating to the requirements imposed but also specifies measures to be applied at the execution stage. This article outlines the currently applicable rules pertaining to architectural concrete in Germany. It also provides a summary of design and execution methods.Special emphasis is placed on the improved results that can be achieved by using white cement.

The term “architectural concrete” is generally used to refer to “visually appealing concrete surfaces” [DIN 18 217], which are also termed “visible” or “exposed” surfaces. It is this visible surface that is the part of the concrete to remain exposed after project completion, which shows the relevant design and execution features and largely determines the architectural effect of a building section or entire structure. For cast-in-situ concrete, various architectural concrete classes (SB; German “Sichtbeton”) are defined in the DBV Code of Practice on Architectural Concrete:

» SB 1 – low...