Concrete is just about everywhere in city infrastructure, from the paving slabs at our feet to the skyscrapers that tower above us. The trouble is, this overuse means that concrete is rarely appreciated for its many benefits as a building material. In fact, thanks to its association with certain architectural
Have you fallen in love with a historic property? Are you curious about how period homes always seem so quirky and unusual? The secret is usually woven into the building itself, thanks to construction techniques that have become unconventional to use today. While strange-looking façades help old buildings stand out
Concrete is just about everywhere in city infrastructure, from the paving slabs at our feet to the skyscrapers that tower above us. The trouble is, this overuse means that concrete is rarely appreciated for its many benefits as a building material. In fact, thanks to its association with certain architectural styles (Brutalism, we’re looking at you), concrete is often downright hated. This is a shame because concrete is cheap, durable, environmentally friendly and readily available – everything you need in a perfect building material. Even when a concrete building gets demolished or a concrete barrier is dismantled, its component parts can easily be reused and recycled into something new. Here are just five ways in which concrete constructions can be given a new, imaginative lease on life. Flexible traffic control Traffic management might seem like one of the most obvious uses for concrete barriers, but have you ever seen it used like this? Thanks to the innovative “Barrier-Transfer” machine, the concrete road-blocks that are typically considered a permanent fixture can be moved between lanes to accommodate for heavier traffic travelling in one direction. Perhaps it’s not the most creative use for the blocks themselves, but it’s certainly a refreshing way to update a very conventional scenario! Cinder blocks as shelving Eponymous with industrial interior design, cinder blocks can be used in a number of DIY furniture projects for a quirky, edgy and practical result. If you’re in need of a new bookcase, try balancing a plank of wood across two blocks, then stacking another two blocks and a plank on top of that. Just be careful about stacking them too high in case they fall – try to keep the top of your shelves below waist-height. Cinder blocks are often used in a similar way for other pieces of furniture, such as bed frames, coffee tables and seating arrangements. A quick online search will give you plenty of ideas. Concrete pipes as micro homes At the beginning of this year, an architecture firm in Hong Kong revealed its prototype design for stackable micro-homes made from giant sections of pipe. These “O Pods” were thought up as a solution to the limited space and high-demand within the city’s housing market, and offer a low-cost, temporary housing option for young people. It might sound extreme, but these cosy little tunnels actually look quite attractive inside and would make an ideal space for commuters, tourists or minimalism enthusiasts! “Lego” blocks for underground bunkers The robust nature of concrete as a construction material hasn’t just been noticed by housebuilders, with concrete blocks also being a popular choice for people creating storm shelters and underground bunkers. These aren’t just survivalists and Doomsday Preppers, but for households that live in high-risk areas for hurricanes and tornados. Pre-fabricated concrete “lego” blocks are extremely durable and lock together to create a secure barrier that can be used as a defence against landslides, flooding and extreme weather. Whether you use them to build a surface-level shelter or lower them into a dug-out hole in the garden is up to you. Jersey blocks as an obstacle course Capable of withstanding extreme force and all-weather conditions, concrete can be used indoors and outdoors to create a challenging terrain for vehicles and people. Jersey blocks are particularly ideal for creating rugged hurdles or flat-topped ledges to skate along, while poured concrete is typically used to form into smooth ramps and bowls. In fact, just about every type of concrete block can be inexpensively re-worked into a sturdy support or obstacle. The durability and versatility of concrete means that, the next time you need something for jumping over, scrambling up or dragging a certain distance, it’s your perfect material. For more information on the typical uses of blocks and barriers see quality barriers suppliers, Maltaward. The fact is, although concrete may be ugly and uninspiring at a first glance, it’s a cheap, environmentally-friendly and robust material that can be used in countless applications. If you’ve got a construction or engineering problem, why not see if you can get creative with concrete blocks to solve it?
Have you fallen in love with a historic property? Are you curious about how period homes always seem so quirky and unusual? The secret is usually woven into the building itself, thanks to construction techniques that have become unconventional to use today. While strange-looking façades help old buildings stand out from the crowd, they often come with a plethora of very specific problems. Wattle and Daub Wattle and daub is one of the most traditional property constructions found around the UK. It’s made up of thin wooden strips that are woven into panels (the wattle) and are then coated with a mixture of soil, clay, sand, straw and animal dung (daub). The low-cost, sustainable nature of wattle and daub has meant that, despite being used for at least 6,000 years, it’s seeing a resurgence in popularity as a construction material. Why can wattle and daub be troublesome? Well, as historic building materials go, it’s actually fairly resilient. The slightly flexible nature means that walls can tolerate considerable structural movement and its sturdiness will even support a failing timber structure where other types of infill would not. However, since it became fashionable to leave both the internal and external sides of these timber frames exposed, the performance of wattle and daub walls has been compromised, letting in draughts and occasionally water. This can cause a wider problem with damp, if left untreated. Ideally, the exposed side of the wall should be coated each year with limewash (killing off bacteria and filling in any small cracks), while the other side should be covered in render or weatherboard. The worst thing you can do with a wattle and daub construction – or any timber-framed building – is to cover the historic fabrics with a modern, impermeable material. These prevent the buildings from “breathing”, causing a build-up of moisture and decay. Bungaroosh Bungaroosh (spelled in various ways, including ‘bungarouche’ and ‘bunglarooge’) is a composite material comprising of building site scraps that would be mixed into hydraulic lime. Broken bricks, flint, pebbles, bits of wood and other miscellaneous pieces would be mixed in with a mortar and poured between shuttering to set. Bungaroosh was used almost exclusively in Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, in the 18th and 19th centuries, although some buildings in the nearby towns and villages have bungaroosh features too. If you visit Brighton today, you can see still countless Regency townhouses with an immaculate cream render, many of which are hiding bungaroosh beneath the surface. Although it was a cost-effective way of using up materials, Bungaroosh is not the most reliable building fabric. The mis-mash of textures means that Bungaroosh is generally very porous. This means that it can become brittle when exposed, either becoming too dry crumbling with little resistance, or getting wet and causing solid materials to become loose. Drilling into Bungaroosh is very difficult and can cause serious structural damage. Although many buildings used to feature designated wooden fixing points within bungaroosh walls, these are typically either covered up or in undesirable positions today. Mundic Similar to bungaroosh, mundic (also described as mundic block), is a type of concrete that utilises local waste as an aggregate. In this case, rather than debris from the surrounding building site, mundic is mixed with the leftover materials from nearby mines. Popular between 1900-1950, you will almost exclusively find mundic in Cornwall, although there are areas in West Devon with properties that have been built using mundic materials too. The major problem with mundic is that it’s hard to work out exactly what has been mixed into the wall, and in what quantities. If the aggregate has a high ratio of certain minerals or chemicals from the mine, this can actually degrade the concrete over time and cause serious structural issues. As any surveyor in Devon or Cornwall will explain, this has a huge effect on local property values. All buildings that are suspected to contain mundic will need to be tested, and if the percentage of mundic material is too high, mortgage lenders may refuse to support the purchase. Sometimes it’s just interesting to know about these unusual construction methods from the past. However, if you’re planning to buy a historic home that might be built using wattle and daub, bungaroosh or mundic, exercise caution. These quirky materials can certainly lend charm and character to your home, just make sure a local surveyor inspects their condition before you commit to a purchase – you could end up with a very expensive pile of rubble!
