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Construction Sustainable

Holcim Awards 2005 - North America - Bronze

Material Reduction - Efficient Fabric-Formed Concrete, Canada

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Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction - North America - Bronze  Material Reduction - Efficient Fabric-Formed Concrete, Canada

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Type of project:
Industrial product

Start of construction:
not foreseen

Principal author:
Prof Mark West, architect, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

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Project Summary
The project presents a technique using flexible fabrics instead of conventional rigid forms for the production of concrete elements. Bronze in the region North America went to Mark West, associate professor at the Center for Architectural Structures & Technology, University of Manitoba,Winnipeg, Canada.

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Winner of the Holcim Awards 2005 Bronze for North America, Professor Mark West

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Comment of the Holcim Awards 2005 Jury for North America
The entry contributes a high degree of innovation in material research and testing, inventively challenging the construction industry to achieve increased levels of efficiency and environmentally sensitive techniques of production.

The results provide convincing evidence of the as of yet untapped potential of concrete as a material force. To be commended are the substantial material savings yielded by allowing the cross-sectional area to vary according to minimal structural requirements.

Of equal merit are the benefits resulting from the estimated cost reductions for formwork material and transport weight. The proposal to deploy geotextile fabrics that are available worldwide and are inexpensive presents a novel opportunity for the concrete industry to deliver products and services to broader range of clientele regardless of the level of industrial sophistication.

Aesthetically, the work is rich in possible applications and promises to offer a veritably unlimited palette of formal variations for architectural and engineering related work. Research combined with hands-on experience are put to the test to deliver a versatile method, one that promotes the sensual and plastic qualities of a known material to achieve unexpected results.

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