Concrete is the penultimate modern building material. It was also used by the Romans, who invented brick and a host of ways to structure these materials. At about the turn of the nineteenth century into the twentieth, industrial production had improved and modern architects looked to new methods and materials such as concrete form as a way to create their visionary styles.

This ancient hard as rock substance, then, has many benefits to architects and construction crews. Firstly, form work for concrete is fashionable into nearly any shape. If the work is to be poured-in-place, the architect designs to utilize this precise task for aesthetic purposes. Poured-in-place is very strong and durable. It lends solidity and permanence to construction as well as to the appearance of the structure.

Forms are also pre-cast in factories to the architect\’s specification. Precast benefits construction in that the making happens off site. They are planned in advance and shipped in when needed. This is good for bad climates, hurried schedules, budgeting and where space for storage of materials is a concern. Precast is almost exclusively used on large buildings, too, where poured-in-place would be absurdly expensive or impossible.

Insulated form is simply that. The material is insulated against, usually, the damp, and the cold. It is a very porous material despite all its hardness, therefore, when used in basement foundations, for example, acts as a sponge for water in the earth. A vapor barrier is required to stave off water seepage.

In cold climates the damp is detrimental, causing cracks at freezing temperatures in materials. It is best, therefore, where cold and proximity to earth is a factor, to insulate against water and cold. Even if there is no damp, the surface will get very cold to the touch and this is unpleasant.

Insulation can happen on site, using spray on foam, or by filling air pockets, or done in the precast stage. The architect specifies any degree of insulation. There are also insulated versions which are manufactured and used as modular components on the exterior of buildings, for example. Non-structural, they give the appearance of solidity and keep out the cold or heat, yet are lighter weight. They look nice and solid, however.

This material is one of the most easily made of all building materials. Its color is changeable, easily shaped, and in terms of its appearance is remixed with different aggregates to create texture. Modern architects saw it as a plastic material, almost like clay. It was used to shape new visions of modern Europe and America, through the eyes of Le Corbusier, and the most humble institutional buildings through the brilliance of Louis Kahn.

Concrete form when insulated, colored, and used for structural columns, bearing walls, flooring, or completely decoratively and non-structurally is one of the strongest and most versatile of building materials. It benefits hot, dry desert like climates particularly because it enables night cooling, thereby lowering the overall temperature of interior atmosphere. It has been used for centuries but is considered, along side steel to be a very modern building material because great architects from Wright to Corb used it to great effect.

Author Bio: With over a hundred thousand projects completed in Concrete Form, its the starting point for energy efficient homes, hotels, warehouses and more.

Category: Home Management
Keywords: concrete form,construction,insulated concrete form,business,home improvement,home repair,home,family