News and Press
World of Concrete Housing Demo Features Modern Application of Traditional Finishes
Denver, Colorado (January 30, 2006) -- Handcrafted stone, brick, stucco, shingle, and cedar siding finishes were incorporated into the demo and model home panels showcased at the World of Concrete convention held in Las Vegas this past month. The demo, “At Home with Concrete” was sponsored by the Concrete Home Building Council (a division of the National Association of Home Builders) and also by industry publications Concrete Construction and Residential Concrete.
Attendees had the opportunity to see a variety of concrete construction systems such as tilt-up, precast and poured-in-place methods. One of the most impressive aspects of the demo was the modern application of conventional finishes in the concrete panels. Cut stone, rich in color and texture was integrally-cast into the tilt-up panels that also featured embedded brick, stucco and wood finishes.
The thought of building a concrete home immediately raises the concern “what will it look like?” and form liner manufacturer, Scott System of Denver has an answer. In fact, Scott System has many answers to the questions of aesthetics of concrete walls as they have made hundreds of textures for concrete. Buck Scott of Scott System commented, “We were delighted to be a part of this year’s concrete housing demo with World of Concrete. As part of the demo team, we wanted to convey that beautiful exterior treatments were possible and that these finishes could be integrally-cast into the concrete during the pour phase.”
Scott System, which pioneered the use of form liners (molds) and brick inlay systems for architectural concrete in 1970, provided a variety of textures for the mock-up panels along with two new variations on his popular brick-inlay system, the Brick Snap®. The Stone Snap™ and the Rim Snap™ are template systems that allow for masonry finishes to be cast into a concrete panel.
The poured-in-place section of the housing demo featured a craftsman-style flashed brick cast directly into the vertical forms supplied by Durand Forms. According to Philip Fearow, vice president of sales and marketing for Durand, “ We were pleased with how the brick system attached to our forms as well as with the overall result. The Rim Snap® definitely gives poured-in-place contractors a brand new finish option to offer their customers.”
Audience members were dazzled by the gorgeous hand-crafted stone placed with the Stone Snap® system and used as a wainscot on the model. Rhodes Architectural Stone of Seattle, WA supplied 8” x 16” x 1.5” hand-tooled artisan stone in shades of heather, curry and caramel. Company president, Richard Rhodes who has more than 20 years’ experience in the industry stated, “I have been involved with every aspect of stone quarrying, fabrication and installation, but this is the first application where we have integrally-cast stone into concrete wall panels. We are excited to be a part of this event and very happy to show concrete contractors how to easily achieve a beautiful stone finish with the Snap system.
“Although virtually any finish imaginable is possible in concrete, our goal was to show that traditional finishes could be added in a contemporary way,” noted Scott. “In light of the severe damage sustained by recent hurricanes, we thought it would be most appropriate to show patterns similar to those seen in residential architecture along the seacoast,”
The “At Home With Concrete” demo successfully demonstrated that an array of aesthetic options are not only possible but can also be easily installed with a multitude of concrete construction systems. Moreover, the event proved that concrete is an extremely versatile material able to provide durable, economic and environmental solutions for the nation’s housing needs.
Scott System
Founded in 1969, Scott System Inc. is a Denver, CO manufacturer producing urethane molds for architectural concrete. Scott System also holds patents on various brick-inlay systems and markets their products internationally. Visit their web site at www.scottsystem.com or direct inquiries to Dana Scott at 303-373-2599, email: danas@scottsystem.com.
Rhodes Architectural Stone
Informed by over 20 years of experience in stone design, quarrying, fabrication, and installation, Rhodes Architectural Stone offers antique and newly quarried hand-crafted natural stone from around the world to fulfill the vision of our clients. Our antique stones offer a rich history and exquisite patina that comes only with hundreds of years of use. Our newly quarried stones are hand finished by employing 12th Century hand techniques and tooling. The effect is a custom texture that reflects the marks of true artisan craftsmanship. Our use of hand crafted stone allows RAS to fabricate custom products that are sized appropriately to the scale of large residential, commercial, and institutional structures, as our products are not restricted by the limitations of machine production. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Rhodes Architectural Stone manages a global stone production team that delivers striking, distinctive, and innovative solutions for projects throughout the United States. Please visit our website at www.rhodes.org.
Photos
J.D. Construction, Las Vegas, lifts and places a wall panel for World of Concrete Demo.
The crew removes SNAP templates from the sample panel revealing stone and brick embedded concrete wainscot. Cedar Siding texture is above.
World of Concrete Housing Mega-Demo featured many exterior options for concrete including a scallop-pattern roof, cedar and shake textures, stone and brick-embedded concrete and paint.
Stucco and stone are displayed on third side of concrete model in “At Home with Concrete” demo.
“At Home With Concrete” demo showcased poured-in-place concrete using Durand Forms, Composite Technology’s insulating sandwich panel system and integrally-cast brick with Scott System’s Rim Snap.
Upon removal of the vertical forms, the real brick finish is revealed. A strip of flagstone texture is used to conceal ties and is easily patched once forms are stripped.