scope:

INTRODUCTION

This guide presents recommendations for cast-in-place architectural concrete that is exposed to view. Architectural concrete requires special care in the selection of concrete materials, forming, placing, and finishing to achieve the desired architectural appearance. Refer to the photos in Appendix A for examples of architectural cast-in-place concrete. Various procedures are recommended for determining requirements of the architect, contractor, concrete producer, and inspector. Critical areas are indicated for special attention, and means for prevention or correction of defects are discussed. Specific surface treatments and special forming techniques are presented. Applicable codes, specifications, and recommendations are given. A good resource for general information about architectural concrete can be found in several papers published in Concrete International (1984(a) to (i); 1988(a) to (h)), as well as the Concrete Construction Engineering Handbook (Kenny and Freedman 1997).

The information presented in this guide is broad and covers several special conditions for specific architectural concrete. Information that may be applicable for use in producing a specific result may not be applicable to another. The user should also be aware that recommendations in this guide are subjective to the means and methods used for accomplishing a specific task for a specific level of architectural effect, and should be tested before use to ensure it will produce the required result. Further research is needed to provide additional information on surface air voids and other construction problems. This guide does not address all the problems associated with architectural concrete.