Most of us love the look and feel of natural materials. Whether it's the satisfying texture of well-worn linen or the smooth coolness of river-polished rock, there is something sensual about "minimally-processed" materials that evokes an emotional response in us. When we bring these substances into our living spaces they provide a feeling of richness and vitality that is difficult to replicate with manufactured materials.
What is it about natural materials like wood and stone that imbues them with almost universal appeal? Though the answers to this question are likely personal, there are three common characteristics that these materials share that may hold the key to their aesthetic value:
History: Materials from nature are inseparable from the time it took them to form. The rings of a tree become the distinctive grain of wood and the sedimentation and erosion of earth colour, striate and distinguish different stones. Each distinctive material gains its personality from the process that created it and exhibits subtle variations that can only be produced by slow formation over time.
Chance: The assembly line of nature follows a path that is continually guided by cause and effect. The ever-changing weather, the shifting earth, and the movements of other living things all have a hand in the forming and shaping of things. And as much as this process is a product of logical order, it is chance events that can create character and profound beauty.
Imperfection: The beauty of nature, essentially, is that it is chaos bound by order. Every event, however random or unexpected, is followed by a logical consequence. And every event and its consequence creates a visual marker. Over time a material becomes a record of events that is nuanced by the unpredictable.
With Solus Handcast Concrete, we have the opportunity to capture some of these traits in a material that balances qualities of nature and with the rigours of manufacturing. As much as we can control concrete in its liquid state through molds, mix recipes and placement techniques, it is through its uncontrollable qualities that it achieves much of its character.
Concrete's process is a chemical reaction that occurs when specific mineral-based materials are brought together. The materials combine and intermingle in the controlled chaos of a mixer and when the mixture is placed into molds, the chaos becomes frozen in time. This record of the process captures colour and moisture variation, shadows of aggregate and sand, and pockets of air.
As the chemical reaction continues, it is influenced by environmental factors such as temperature and humidity and each minute shift in the reaction informs the final product. Hence, concrete gains much of its appearance from the conditions that existed during its formation.
At Solus, it has always been our aim to capture the "essence of concrete" in all the products that we create. This means that we strive for a balance between perfection and imperfection - between our control over the medium and the chance relics and markings of the material and its process. The result is a warm, understated colour palette and an almost luminous surface patina that hides nothing of concrete's natural qualities: the surface pores and tonal range that ensure that every piece is truly one-of-a-kind.
At Solus, we are continually amazed by the creative and beautiful installations that clients create with our products. There is no better example than with one of our best sellers: Span. Span's minimalist lines and simple form can seamlessly enhance any room whether you are emphasizing its colour and material, or its crisp geometry.
The most energy intensive component of any concrete mixture is the cement powder itself. The production of cement requires the quarrying and grinding of stone, intense application of heat, and the transportation of heavy goods - all before the material is even incorporated into concrete. By reducing the amount of cement that is used in a given volume of concrete, you lessen the amount of input energy required.
Fly ash and silica fume are industrial by-products of coal burning power plants and both may be used to replace a portion of the cement powder in concrete. These materials, along with several others, have cementitious qualities, in that they react with water and with some of the byproducts of the cement reaction. When used appropriately, these supplementary cementing materials (SCM's, as they are known) can improve the performance of the finished product by contributing to stronger, denser concrete.
As part of a high-performance concrete mix, SCM's provide a kind of sustainability triple play. Not only do they reduce the amount of cement required in a mix, they make use of an industrial waste byproduct and can result in better and more durable concrete.
