Made of Concrete dissects 16 contemporary Swiss buildings through large-scale isometric drawings, making visible the technical and cultural decisions behind one of architecture's most demanding and versatile materials.
About This Book
Concrete is architecture's most consequential material — structurally exacting, aesthetically contested, and endlessly variable in application. This publication, grounded in research conducted at the Architecture Department of ETH Zurich, moves beyond admiration to analysis. Sixteen contemporary Swiss buildings are examined through detailed isometric drawings that reveal construction logic at a scale conventional photography cannot achieve. Images of construction processes, written accounts of building methods, and a systematic overview of envelope construction principles combine to give architects, engineers, and students an unusually precise understanding of how contemporary concrete architecture is actually assembled. The book positions Swiss practice as a site where technical rigour and sophisticated building culture are productively inseparable.
Key Features
- 108 pages of large-scale isometric drawings, construction process imagery, and technical analysis texts
- Authors: Daniel Mettler and Daniel Studer
- 16 contemporary Swiss concrete buildings examined as case studies
- Published by Birkhauser, [Details available upon request]
What You'll Discover
- How large-scale isometric drawing can reveal structural and material decisions invisible in standard architectural photography
- The diversity of methods available for using concrete in contemporary architectural practice, drawn from 16 distinct built examples
- A systematic framework for understanding building envelope construction principles as they apply to concrete structures
- The relationship between current technical requirements and building culture as demonstrated by contemporary Swiss architectural production
About the Author
Daniel Mettler and Daniel Studer conducted the research underpinning this book at the Architecture Department of the ETH Zurich. Their work focuses on the analysis of contemporary Swiss concrete construction, examining both technical methods and the broader architectural culture from which they emerge.
Specifications
- Format: Hardcover
- Pages: 108
- Dimensions: 320 x 280 mm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9783035614459
- Publisher: Birkhauser
- Publication Date: [Details available upon request]
Perfect For: Architects and structural designers working with concrete, architecture students and academics researching construction methods, and anyone with a serious interest in Swiss contemporary architecture and building culture.