Transcript Concrete In Retail Spaces

Concrete In Retail Spaces
Carley Zimmerman
HCIA 303
Gray Concrete
 http://www.grayconcrete.co.uk/
 A design company from the UK
integrating concrete designs into
retail, residential and many more
spaces
Why Use Gray Concrete?
 Can be mixed with virtually any color
 Can be cast into just about any shape imaginable
 Can be produced with any finish whether matte or rough or
mirrored polish
 Any texture can be pressed or designed and many other
materials can be molded in, applied to, cured with with
etching and sandblasting
 Great material for repetitious designs, use the same mould
 Glass reinforced concrete is made to be lighter in weight
 Is strong, durable, waterproof, won’t chip
 Glass reinforced concrete can be made as thin as 8mm.
 Much more popular when it comes to furniture and sculpture
design
Gray Concrete



Using the incredible
versatility of concrete they
develop and manufacture
work for exhibition, retail
and domestic spaces.
From large structures, and
cladding systems to
domestic furniture; concrete
offers almost infinite
possibilities of texture,
color, shape and scale.
For interior or exterior
applications their work is
long lasting and beautiful.
Manolo Blanik, Dublin
 Concrete wall paper and Georgian
joinery.
 A high end retail space showing
how an apparently crude material
can be used for a fine finish.
 This is an inexpensive and
environmentally friendly material.
 It makes a huge impression on
viewers and is a unique approach
to design.
Summerlee Industrial
Heritage Museum


Octagonal structures, built off site from
rough shuttered and polished Glass
Reinforced Concrete.
With the ability to cast any shape or size the
concrete is able to envelope the entire
determined space
 With the ability to
press textures and
materials into the
concrete, the finish
is never the same
 Able to mix in any
color to create the
perfect structure in
the client’s eyes
Vaults Floor, Edinburgh Castle
 Production of a 70m2
concrete floor, that
both replicates and
protects the existing
17th century brick.
 The 5200 bricks were
cast from sections of
the original surface,
and placed in a
40mm thick floating
screed that can be
removed without
damaging the
original floor that
lies beneath.
 This is an
interesting way
of approaching
renovations and
restorations
without harming
the original but
also staying true
to the design
Furniture
 Concrete can also be
used to mould
furniture and the like
 Furniture projects
include kitchen work
surfaces, sinks, baths,
hearths, fire surrounds
and exterior planters
and benches.
Pros of Concrete
 Recycled aggregates are replacing newly mined gravel.
 Using thermal-mass, less energy is needed to heat and cool the
home, lessening the long-term environmental impact of the
building.
 Concrete is one of the cheapest building materials available
for home construction.
 Concrete is 100% recyclable and is being increasingly produced
from recycled materials.
 Concrete is a natural, inert material. It has low VOC emissions
and so does not degrade indoor air quality. Concrete floors can
help reduce allergies.
Cons of Concrete
 Quarrying billions of tons of limestone degrades the landscape
 Transporting heavy materials pollutes the air
 The production process uses large amounts of electricity
(consuming up to 2% of electricity in the world)
 Water is used, and often wasted, during manufacture and,
unless managed well, ground water and river systems can be
polluted
 Creating active lime, the main part of cement, results in CO2
emissions (about 1 ton per 1 ton of cement produced, resulting
in about 8% of the CO2 produced worldwide)
I didn’t know this about
concrete until after
researching:
 Concrete is a very versatile design material
 Not only can it make the structure of a space
but it can decorate it as well
 Useful for moulds or castings
 Can be made to be much lighter
 While there are some pollution issues related
with concrete production, they seem less
severe then major gas omissions that other
man-made products produce