Detail is one of my favorite periodic publications in terms of construction inspiration. The reason? It’s packed with highly detailed drawings of contemporary projects.

Each volume features a specific building system (concrete in this case), presented in the form of articles, short reports, new technologies, products, and the most attractive section, recent projects with the mentioned detailed drawings.

For example, in this issue we find an interesting article by Hubertus Adam on the current state of concrete in Switzerland illustrated with photos of Valerio Olgiati projects; and projects such as the Children’s Playhouse by LAN Architecture, the Bus Operation Center by ECDM, or the MAXXI Museum by Zaha Hadid with detailed sections of walls, roofs and more.

This magazine is a good reference material, and even if the projects presented on each issue are very recent, the technical information is timeless.

More info after the break.

The new museum of contemporary art in Herning, Denmark, bearing a distinctive creased skin, and the just-completed MAXXI cultural centre in Rome, its form both sculptural and fluid, are currently two of the high-profile realisations in concrete. They express different characteristics of the material. While Steven Holl exploits the material’s potential primarily by developing an elaborate bas-relief surface, Zaha Hadid focuses on the building’s overall three-dimensional form. Contemporary architecture demonstrates that concrete has much to offer, both technologically and aesthetically. Equipped with a variety of aggregate and reinforcement and application. It is also well suited to low-budget work.

Concrete’s appearance is also adaptable, ranging from a velvety gloss, via sensual rawness, to a textured skin, such as the projections covering the ultra-thin precast units which constitute the envelope of an office building in Paris. Concrete can also be executed in nearly any colour: natural grey, shades achieved through pigmentation, or the extra-white, exquisite marble concrete which David Chipperfield utilizes in the monumental stair at the Neues Museum in Berlin (see Detail 4/2009, English Edition). This example, with its high-precision precast units, also demonstrates that concrete does not necessarily require the tolerances normally associated with it.

Concrete is increasingly being employed as large-format precast elements, as illustrated by Claus en Kaan’s rigorous office building in Amsterdam. At the same time, cast-in-place concrete – as monumental solid block – makes an appearance in a school in Austria by Marte.Marte, and is employed as building skin, as well as load-bearing framework. Due to its physical properties, it is increasingly edging out steel in the construction of skyscrapers. This is the case at the Burj Dubai – currently the world’s tallest building. One of the many challenges involved – as the engineer William F. Baker explains in his article – was to pump the viscous concrete to a height in excess of 600 m.

- Christian Schittich, editor-in-chief

Editor-in-chief: Christian Schittich
Drawings: Marion Griese, Emese M. Köszegi, Nicola Kollmann, Simon Kramer

Language: English
Cover: Paperback
Pages: 114
ISSN: 1614-4600

Index

Discussion
Concrete – A Versatile Building Material / Christian Schittich
Contemporary Concrete Construction in Switzerland / Hubertus Adam

Reports
Madinat al-Zahra Museum and Research Centre near Cordoba / Frank Kaltenbach
Renewal of the Student Apartments at the Olympic Village in Munich / Roland Pawlitschko
Books, Exhibitions

Documentation
Museum in Nottingham / Caruso St. John Architects
Children’s Playhouse in Bonneuil-sur-Marne / LAN Architecture
Boarding School for Handicapped Children in Kramsach / Marte.Marte Architecten
Office Building in Ijburg, Amsterdam / Claus en Kaan Architecten
Administration Building and Bus Operation Centre in Thiais / ECDM
Museum in Herning / Steven Holl Architects
Headquarters in London / Allford Hall Monaghan Morris
MAXXI Museum in Rome / Zaha Hadid Architects

Technology
Utilizing Concrete in High-Rises: Case Studies of the Burj Dubai, Trump Tower and Infinity Tower / William F. Baker
Strong, Long Lasting, Energy Efficient – Addressing Future Needs with Concrete / Martin Peck

Products
Concrete, Steel, Masonry and Offsite Building Construction
Bathroom and Sanitary Ware
Wall and Floor Tiles
External Works
Membrane and Textile Structures
Service
Persons and organizations involved in the planning / Contractors and suppliers
Programme / Photo credits / Editorial and publishing data

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