Architectural Concrete Without the Mess, Cost and Time
Concrete has been used in architecture around the world for centuries. Through advancement and progress in the construction industry, designers have come up with a variety of ways to work with it that many homeowners want.
Architectural concrete, specifically, provides many options to create impressive home designs. When used well by a talented architect or designer, it can create an impressive WOW factor that increases the perceived value of a building, just by looking spectacular.
Plus, while architectural concrete is employed to enhance a design, it also provides structural reinforcement for homes and buildings, which makes this durable material a popular choice.
But traditional concrete work comes with extensive drawbacks. It’s important to consider the substantial challenges faced when using architectural concrete, such as increased cost, longer timelines, increased maintenance and lower thermal mass, as well as some modern innovative solutions to get you the look you want — without the hassle.
The Challenges Faced By Architectural Concrete Design
Architectural concrete is used to support both aesthetic and structural components of home construction, sometimes using special finishing techniques or materials.
“Achieving an architectural or decorative appearance usually requires that something different be done to the concrete,” explains the Portland Cement Association. “Whether that involves special forms, special finishing techniques, or special ingredients, the variety of effects is almost unlimited.”
While the effects are impressive, using architectural concrete in your home’s design comes with a few challenges.
- Concrete has a massive carbon footprint. Cement has high embodied energy from its manufacturing process and must be paired with other limited resources like dredge sand, water and rebar steel to create the chemical reaction and flexural strength needed to safely construct walls, fireplaces and outdoor spaces. This makes any ready mixed concrete a top three carbon footprint offender, along with clay-based products and carpeting.
- It comes with special requirements for building and safety code. In order to build with cast-in-place architectural concrete in your home, it needs to meet the requirements of local and national building codes. “The formwork used for architectural concrete construction needs to be of high density and should conform to the specification of applicable codes [such as ACI 117],” according to The Constructor.
It might require a structural engineer or additional contractors on your project. Concrete is a versatile and durable material, which makes it attractive to homeowners looking for a high-performing home. But a safe and successful design using architectural concrete requires additional technical support. “For successful buildings,” explains Amy L. Hackney and James A. McDonald for Concrete Construction, “structural engineers, architects, and contractors must work in tandem to provide the required structural and waterproofing performance while still achieving the desired aesthetic finish.”
Wood Formwork for Concrete Wall Construction
Nichiha’s easy fiber cement system
- Exposed Architectural Concrete requires mixing, pouring and curing. Preparing architectural concrete materials requires “great care and attention,” according to The Constructor, so that the materials conform to design requirements and building standards. Pouring the concrete is a complex scope of work that requires rigid scheduling of multiple steps around the weather. Since it has to dry and cure properly over time, meaning it’ll take longer for you to be able to enjoy your new home.
- Concrete has high thermal mass and very low R-value (insulation value). In the sunbelt, from California to Florida, solid exposed concrete walls absorb the heat of the sun (called “solar gain”), then release that heat long into the night. So your air conditioning runs much harder and longer than it should, increasing energy usage and cost. In colder climates, that solar gain does retain heat, but since concrete walls have such low insulative value, the interior must be insulated so even when thermal mass could be beneficial, the opposing forces of low R-value and high thermal mass render it useless. The only redeeming factor of concrete is brute strength, but where this support is needed, it can most often be built with wood or steel.
There’s no doubt that architectural concrete can help you get the look you want in your home (and out!), but there are better, thinner materials readily available that offer you attractive, durable, budget-friendly and environmentally-responsible solutions without the hassle, mess and extra time.
Solutions That Deliver the Look of Architectural Concrete
Fiber cement siding is a composite material that’s been used on home exteriors for decades now, and it provides real solutions for homeowners that want durability and style in their design. Using Nichiha architectural wall panels for your home’s exterior keeps your home protected from the elements, and offers the same sleek, modern style of concrete.
The ArchitecturalBlock panels shown above offer plenty of design versatility to homeowners, especially when paired with warmer wood-inspired exterior details. It’s the perfect combination of clean and inviting style.
[cta 6]
The EmpireBlock panels featured in the entryway above also showcase fiber cement’s versatility by emulating the pocking and spalling and event the snap-tie divots of architectural concrete, proving this industrial style is possible anywhere in your design. If you’re after a modern industrial look for your home, don’t hesitate to bring that same style to your interior.
And Nichiha’s architectural wall panels offer the same dependability as architectural concrete, without the cracking or coloring concerns that come with traditional concrete. Fiber-cement panels are just as low-maintenance as concrete, but are thinner and lighter, using a dry manufacturing process so it can be made without water and a much smaller ratio of cement and sand than traditional concrete construction.
Nichiha products come with a simple installation process that doesn’t require any messy concrete mixing nor pouring, waiting for it to cure, stripping and patching. The patented hidden fastener clip attachment holds the panels away from the wall, allowing for moisture to drain or evaporate. The ventilation and low mass of the panels both reduce solar gain, making for better siding system performance.
Today’s trends in home exteriors are veering away from more narrow siding profiles like vinyl or shiplap, and towards cleaner styles like the ArchitecturalBlock panels shown above.
Architectural wall panels from Nichiha give homeowners limitless options for modern design, but don’t require the same cost or time that architectural concrete does. And because the fiber cement board panels offer homeowners a fire- and moisture-resistant exterior, you can expect your home’s style to stand up to weather and other natural elements, even in wildfire-prone locations, such as California.
Nichiha’s architectural wall panels offer durability and weather-protection to homeowners that want the strength of fiber cement in their designs but don’t want to sacrifice style. And because these panels are so easy-to-install by anyone with carpentry skills, they’re an attractive option for just about any home design, schedule and budget.
If you’re looking for solutions that both enhance and protect your exterior, but don’t want the mess of architectural concrete, architectural wall panels from Nichiha have given hundreds of homeowners options that work with their personal style.
You can get a sample here, or check out our project gallery for additional inspiration.