The use of concrete in construction is probably one of the main trademarks of 20th century architecture. Concrete is composed of a combination of materials which when mixed with water solidify into the shape of the container where it is poured in. In this sense, it is the container or the ‘moulds’ who rule the outcome. The reuse of molds for casting concrete is a technique used to replicate and control the production of concrete elements or buildings. Architects and designers have used/created diverse types of molds and casting techniques to explore the limits of the material.
In 1899, Thomas Alva Edison founded a concrete company that produced high-quality Portland cement. Drunk with ambition, he looked for ways to utilize concrete to produce full objects: refrigerators, pianos, and particularly, entire houses. In the 1910s, he successfully cast house prototypes by pouring the concrete in a single shot. However, the casting molds were very complicated to assemble as they were composed of more than 2,300 pieces; consequently, only a few houses were built. Edison was searching for a construction process that could be easily replicated to achieve ‘mass’ production and, thus, sell more concrete. His “failure” was not the use of the material, but of misunderstanding the constructive system.
