Building Homes with Concrete

Introduction to Building Homes with Concrete

Building homes with concrete has been making a major comeback over the years due to its potential to create visually stunning and gravity-defying structures. We’ve mentioned in previous blogs that certain uses of concrete may not be best for the environment, depending on its use. While we may not necessarily recommend concrete patio spaces, we know that concrete has a number of benefits for home builds that may be overlooked in favour of more natural looks.

In this article, we’ll review the architectural style that uses concrete most heavily and its distinctive features. Additionally, we’ll look at some of our favourite design elements and examples to help you get a feel for concrete’s applicability in home builds.

We’ll then look at building with concrete itself - its benefits and drawbacks in comparison to some of the other classic materials used in homebuilding, as well as how to use it in a more eco-friendly way. Finally, we’ll go over some tips for using concrete in construction to help make sure it remains as beautiful as it was when it cured and lasts as long as it’s meant to!

Have questions about your next project? Excited about working with concrete? Build with us! Lincoln Construction specializes in remote projects, Net Zero and Passive Homes, as well as renovations. We work hard to ensure our design and build process is earth-conscious - recognizing the impact construction has on our beautiful landscape.

Concrete Architectural Design

To get started on the use of building homes with concrete, we think it’s important to give the lowdown on the architectural style that most often uses this material. The style is called Brutalism, and can most often be seen in modern mansions and houses.

Contrary to the name, it’s not as ‘brutal’ as it seems (at least not anymore!) Huge glass walls, monolithic concrete structures, and an almost sculpture-like layout are some of the key characteristics of modern brutalism - none of which were seen in the early Brutalist style.

The History of the Brutalism Construction Style

Brutalism first came about in 1952 with the construction of Unité d'Habitation in Marseilles, France by Le Corbusier, a Swiss-French architecture firm that loved the use of concrete in the construction of major buildings. The original brutalism style was utilitarian and modular, lacking decorative features that made it a bit hard to look at for those who lived within buildings constructed in this style.

The appearance of brutalist structures and their decay was also their recipe for disaster. Over time, the concrete’s surfaces began to break down and look dingy - making it an ideal surface for graffiti. The cold and utilitarian nature of the structures was also unappealing to city planners and largely fell out of style by the 1980s.

Modern Brutalism Construction Style

Fast forward to today, and Brutalism has come back in a big way - but how has it changed?

Architects have paired the style with a more minimalist flair, which results in a geometric look that plays with negative space. Additionally, the structures are almost sculpture-like and push design to its limits. Some really fantastic examples of modern brutalism have been compiled by Home Designing, who made sure all different elements of the style are considered. Here are some of the other major elements of brutalism:

Purposeful and thoughtful framing
A vivid feature colour, like a column or wall
Monolithic parts (think large and dominating)
A Feeling of permanence
Sculptural effects
Cantilevering (the balancing act which is seen as gravity-defying)

Modern brutalism gives concrete a stylish use that may not have been considered after the 1980s. While you may not be immediately drawn to its harsh minimalism, oftentimes home builders will select elements from different styles that they find appealing to build something unique to them.

Other Home Building Concrete Designs

Concrete became popular again not simply because of brutalism, but because of its adaptability and versatility when shaping and finishing. Concrete structures can use frames that make them have a variety of textures that bend and curve at almost impossible angles. We’ll continue our look into building homes with concrete by taking inspiration from some rather unique and visually stunning homes constructed largely with this material.

Cork Oak House

Cork Oak House, designed by Hugo Pereira Arquitetos is an example of building a home with concrete that creates an extension of the natural landscape and is described to look like a rocky outcropping. The use of concrete is meant to bring out the green of the surrounding landscape and offset the large panels of windows that are a prominent feature. This home design aims to bring the homeowner as close to nature as possible - and every feature highlights this target.

Hotel Sou

Hotel Sou shows the potential that repurposing concrete structures can hold. The designers at Suppose Design House took an old office building and brought a sense of wildness back to it by cutting back a fair bit of the walls in favour of large framing planters and sliding windows for when the elements hit. We would almost describe it as reclaimed by nature! We love the minimalism and the focus on the greenery that is present in every part of the construction.

Lost Whiskey Cabin

Lost Whiskey cabin reminds us that you don’t need a mega-mansion to explore the potential of concrete features. This cute little cabin features the iconic cantilevering that is seen in a lot of modern brutalist architecture.

The Pros and Cons of Building Homes with Concrete

We’ve gone through a number of stylistic features of concrete, but we also need to make sure we review the pros and cons of this material - so you can make an informed decision regarding your home’s exterior structure.

Pros to Building Homes with Concrete

Low carbon footprint

Since concrete has longevity and doesn’t need replacing like other materials, it’s considered to have a lower carbon footprint compared to other building materials.

Like all materials, it’s important to note that there are still emissions in the creation of the components of concrete - particularly when cement (used to cure and bind concrete) is created.

Resiliency

Concrete is resilient not just to wear, but to other factors as well! This includes fire, wind, water, and its ability to hold up well against earthquakes.

Energy efficiency

When used in a standard home build, concrete provides energy efficiencies due to its ability to thermally regulate an indoor space. However, what we’re most excited about is the energy efficiency potential for passive and geothermal homes.

Since radiant heating in homes often comes from the flooring, there are significant energy savings as concrete can ‘hold’ the warmth. The same can be said for geothermal heating and cooling systems when it’s involved!

Cost-effectiveness

Since concrete has a long lifespan vs other material types (wood, vinyl. etc), it’s considered to be incredibly cost-effective over the duration of its use. This means that while it may be pricier, to begin with, the cost of maintenance and replacement are substantially lower than other material types.

Emission-free

When the concrete has finished curing, it leaches zero emissions into the soil or air - meaning it’s safe for the environment. Depending on its use it can still cause some environmental damage, which we’ve highlighted in the below sections.

Adaptive reusability

Due to the long lifespan of concrete, buildings can be repurposed many times over during their usable life.

Locally produced

Due to the nature of concrete, it’s often produced close to where it’ll be used.

Cons to Building Homes with Concrete

Susceptibility to cracking

If the wrong type of concrete is used, if cantilevering is designed incorrectly, or if improperly installed - concrete can begin to crack. This means it’ll be less secure and depending on the structural integrity, will need to be fixed as soon as possible.

Wear varies

Concrete can be long-lasting and strengthen over time, depending on how its use is planned. This is where it’s critical to ensure you have a team of experts on board to determine that the type of concrete, its water ratio, and the coatings used are appropriate for what the concrete will be exposed to. Otherwise, it can start looking weathered and dingy.

Higher carbon footprint

We mentioned in the pros section that concrete has a low carbon footprint, but it also has a high one! Why is that?

Concrete patios have a significant impact on the water table and can hold onto debris that can result in hazardous chemicals leaching into streams. While concrete is beneficial when used in home structures, we actually recommend using decomposed granite or other semi-permeable surfaces for your outdoor spaces to allow water to flow into the soil. If you like to wander your yard in bare feet, you can add stepping stones to provide a safe walking space.

Some Practical Building Homes with Concrete Tips

Before you embark on your next concrete project, there are a few things you need to consider. Planning for the space that you have will be critical to making sure your concrete design is long-lasting and will continue to look good! We’ve compiled a few tips from ArchDaily to make your next home build with concrete a success:

1. Building for the Elements

Before pouring the concrete, you’ll need to know the level of exposure your structure will have to the elements. Your construction experts will choose the right blend of concrete thickness and finishing to ensure that it’ll remain strong and be less likely to crack when battered.

2. What’s the Finish?

When constructing with concrete your finishing materials are critical. Along with the environmental exposure, the look and finish of your concrete are an important consideration.

Your concrete expert will help you pick a varnish or resin that can either have little to no visual effect or something that helps smooth it out, change the tone, or completely change the colour (concrete paint is a thing!)

3. Protect the Foundation

This should go without saying, but make sure your metal structures are protected! This means having a thick enough layer of concrete to seal off the metal foundations from the elements as they’re very prone to rust.

4. Choosing the Moulding (framework)

Your framework or moulding will be the opportunity to develop interesting finishes for your concrete structure. There are limitless possibilities to what you can develop for the surfaces - including wood patterning!

5. The Final Touches

Imperfections happen when your concrete cures. You’ll need to work on fixing those right away to make sure that it doesn’t become a larger issue! You’ll be able to seal concrete imperfections using a specific blend of cement, acrylic additive, and water.

Conclusion To Building Homes with Concrete

In this article, we went over a broad array of topics surrounding building homes with concrete. We began by defining and going over the history of brutalist architecture, a style that popularized large-scale concrete use in home architecture.

We then went over some of the differences between modern brutalist/minimalist architecture and its original counterpart. We went further and gave a few examples of designs that aren’t brutalist - but heavily feature concrete as a way to inspire you to think outside the box and play with this highly adaptable medium.

After doling out some inspiration, we looked at the practical side of concrete by sketching out the pros and cons of its use and its impact on the environment. We then gave some practical tips to working with concrete, acknowledging that a lot of concrete construction will need to have an expert involved as there are a lot of design components that need to be considered - and don’t necessarily make great DIY projects at a large scale!