Concrete Elegance

The first event in the Concrete Elegance 2017 series displays the scope and diversity of concrete facades.

The talk will feature the crisp, almost crystalline white angles of the precast concrete diagrid and elaborate brick-faced concrete panels of Victoria Gate shopping centre in Leeds and the corrugated, fluid curves of Vex, a house cast entirely insitu.

Each project is presented by its architect and other key collaborators.

Speakers include:

- Friedrich Ludewig, director of ACME joined by Charlie Scott, director at Watermans
(Victoria Gate, Leeds - phase one of the regeneration and expansion of the retail heart of Leeds.)

- Stephen Chance of Chance de Silva joined by electronic musician, Scanner (Robin Rimbaud)
(Vex, private house, London)

Case studies:

Victoria Gate, in the East of Leeds city centre, forms a natural extension of Victoria Quarter and Leeds’s retail district. The scheme includes a new John Lewis department store, multi-storey car parking and two arcades with a mix of shops, restaurants and leisure facilities. The buildings appear as three distinct elements with individual identities that relate to each other and the vernacular of Leeds and include facades of intricate brick-faced concrete panels, GRC internal facades as well as white acid-etched and polished precast concrete cast in dramatic pattern and relief. The project pushed the boundaries of manufacture, developed through early collaboration with the specialist precasting companies and delivered using 3D modelling.

Vex, private house, is a curved, fluted concrete structure on formerly a derelict site in Stoke Newington. It is also an unusual collaboration between the architects and musician/composer Scanner. Music and architecture both take as their starting point Erik Satie's 'Vexations' – a looping, repetitive piano work that lasts around 18 hours in continuous performance. This free standing building, with looping, sculptural form is set among larger buildings and trees. The over lapping of different floor planes provides opportunities for skylights and manages privacy/views. The entire structure is cast in-situ concrete, the outer wall poured against corrugated steel sheeting carefully crafted to follow the complex, ever changing curves of the buildings perimeter.

Chaired by Elaine Toogood

Please note that this event is free to attend but booking is essential. When booking your contact details will be shared with The Concrete Centre for this joint event.

Registration starts at 6pm.

Produced by The Building Centre and The Concrete Centre