PRESENCE
The eleventh edition of the Concrete Design Competition hosted the theme 'PRESENCE'. It ran in Austria, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Ireland. Coordinating country the Netherlands was host country for the workshop for Laureates, held in Eindhoven in August 2024. The workshop was hosted by Saibnt-Gobain Weber Beamix. They offered their full laboratory, equipment and experts to assist the participants. They also offered their professional 3D Concrete Printing factory for us to use and test designs.
2023-2024
concept, coordination, tutoring
Eleventh Concrete Design Competition PRESENCE
We all ‘know’ concrete. It’s all around us. It is the world’s most used construction material. We are aware of most of its benefits, as well as most of its challenges. When following the current debates, one may argue that nowadays most materials are perceived and reviewed mainly in the light of their environmental impact. However, materials are much more than their respective functional and ecological qualities. Their – architectural – impact reaches beyond the capacity to carry loads or withstand forces, beyond the sheltering qualities of keeping wind and rain out or providing for a comfortable climate. It reaches even beyond architecture’s main objective of creating spaces in terms of square or cubic meters. The use of materials offers a designer the potential to create atmospheres and offer a greater palette of techniques and possibilities than the creation of volumes and spaces.
Concrete is a material that contains inherent characteristics setting it aside from other materials. It can be monolithically shaped in almost every form. It has a ‘sensible’ mass that can be felt by just standing beside an object. It offers an almost endless variety in terms of textures and tactility. All these appearances support the intended functionality with experiences of security, sacrality, awe, comfort, and so on.
If for instance one visits the Bruder Klaus Chapel by Peter Zumthor, or the Neues Museum by David Chipperfield, one feels the mass, experiences the heaviness, in such a way that it directly supports the purpose of the buildings themselves. Similarly the filigree façade on the MuCEM in Marseille by Rudy Ricciotti or the extreme thin shells by Heinz Isler support the structures through their sheer sense of lightness. There are bridges and infrastructures that through the form and dimensions of their concrete structures immediately makes their functionality clear and understood. Similarly, one can find examples of both interiors and exteriors, buildings, and public spaces that through the specific use of their material, convey and support their functionality as well as the architectural ambitions.
PRESENCE can be interpreted as how an object, a building, a bridge, a piece of furniture is perceived and experienced. How its material use supports its functional purpose. It can also be interpreted as a call to properly work with already existing structures. The ones that are already present, acknowledged heritage as much as those with hidden potential for reuse.
PRESENCE shows and informs the existence of an object. It escapes from interpretations as good or bad, beautiful, or ugly. When an object has presence, it simply is. There is no need to question why it is as it is. It is clear and understood. Timeless. Durable.
Ali Zaheer, Anne-Lisa Custers, Claire Montgomery, Daniel Weirather, Douwe Neven, Gina Guravage, Hélène Simonis, Illy Klerckx, Jessica Klinge, Lenika Walter, Lilian Furrer, Lukas Dechau, Lukas Hausner, Marlene Rackow, Max Rubach, Meike Hagemann, Melati Veerman, Nicolai Schurr, Shane McMorrow, Soknary Leang, Stephen Sombi & Stijn Jalon
tutors
Camille Gbaguidi & Siebe Bakker - bureaubakker
experts, critics, and lecturers
André Dorst, John Scherptong, Remco de Groot, Peter Paul Cornelissen & Udo Snijer - Saint-Gobain Weber Beamix / 3D.Weber,
Bram Aerts - ATAMA, Caroline Versteden - Office WINHOF, Diederik Veenendaal - Summum Engineering & Jeroen Schipper - Orange Architects
host & support
Cindy Vissering - Cement&BetonCentrum | Tektoniek & Saint-Gobain Weber BeamixR
photography and video
Chrissy Bohré & Fatih Cebeci - bureaubakker
The Concrete Design Master Class PRESENCE has been made possible through the support of: Cement Manufacturers Ireland, FEBELCEM, InformationsZentrum Beton, Tektoniek University / Cement&BetonCentrum & Beton Dialog Österreich