Material Study: Concrete

Built entirely in concrete, Våga Water Tower uses an elongated, wave-like structure to challenge the conventional vertical water tower typology. The reservoir is formed by eight identical precast concrete segments with a concave profile, creating structural efficiency while producing subtle light and shadow across the facade.

The building is defined by an in-situ, red-brown exposed concrete structure, with projecting floor slabs shaped by large elliptical openings. Concrete is both the structure and as a separation, allowing balconies to function as extensions of the living areas while maintaining privacy between apartments. The solid concrete frame is contrasted by glass cladding in the same tone, softening the building’s mass and reinforcing the material’s presence.

The tower’s concrete structure is engineered to withstand extreme hydraulic loads, with concave concrete walls acting as 48 small dams under water pressure. Forces concentrated at the corners are stabilized by six continuous concrete belts, allowing controlled flooding scenarios to be simulated repeatedly. The concrete system supports water storage, impact resistance, and reuse, making the structure both structurally efficient and operationally sustainable.

The ceiling at Restaurant y Sea is formed by exposed concrete waffle beams that filter daylight and create a soft, evenly lit interior. This concrete ceiling system allows for fewer load-bearing walls, enabling an open plan below.

At PLP City by ASWA, concave and convex precast concrete panels define the building’s envelope, using depth and curvature to control daylight. The concrete facade functions as a light-regulating system, creating shade, shadow, and visual rhythm while maintaining an opaque interior suited to high-performance technology.

At Bewboc House, Malaysian architect Fabian Tan uses a cast-in-place concrete arch to contrast the entire extension, shaping walls, roof, and interior as a single continuous form. Concrete here is both structure and finish, giving the addition a strong presence.

At Tower House on Jiming Island, exposed concrete is used for the compact vertical volume anchored directly into the cliff, allowing the building to read as an extension of the rock itself. The project is a sequence of vertically stacked living spaces, each framed by precisely positioned openings toward the sea.

At Sun Tower by OPEN Architecture, a double-layer white concrete shell structure forms the building. The concrete shells provide thermal mass, acoustic performance, and structural stability while shaping concave and convex spaces that collect sound, frame light, and guide airflow. Here, concrete is used as both structure and climate moderator, enabling passive cooling strategies and translating solar geometry into built form.

At Ágnes-Heller-Haus, the main entrance is defined by a monumental concrete portal that establishes the building’s civic presence on Christoph Probst Platz. The deeply recessed concrete entrance references Innsbruck’s historic arcades, using mass and shadow to create a clear threshold between public square and interior.