For me, Concrete Month has been about discovering all kinds of amazing uses for a material that, before, had seemed pretty mundane. But among engineers, that sentimentโthat concrete can do so much more than we normally ask of itโis not new. Case in point: the concrete canoe phenomenon.
Some nice detailed build notes from Nori Lamphere, describing her styrofoam concrete wall construction method, including a specific mix formula and mixing directions.
French design group Murmure made this set of concrete business cards. They’re memorable, but I’m not sure I’d like to squeeze even one into my wallet. From a design perspective, Murmure notes the clean look of the typography, set against the roughness of the material used.
Arthur Gansen’s kinetic sculpture includes a gear train that will take well over two trillion years before the final gear makes one turn.
“Geopolymers” have been called “super cements.” They are commonly made in academic labs, but so far I haven’t found a good DIY prep for hands-on learners. I’ve run down a couple of sources and compiled a (still untested) procedure for making small geopolymer stone objects in the garage. Comments welcome.
A clever designer meets a clever material: See how Florian Schmid uses Concrete Canvas to sew soft forms that harden to durable furniture when water is applied.
The thing about speakers, of course, is that there’s not really any good way, that I can think of, to convey their most important functional quality online: How do they sound? Still, these prototypes from industrial designer Shmuel Linski look so good I couldn’t pass ’em up
