At present, widely used around the world for a variety of applications, Foamed Concrete’s use in North America is negligible particularly in architectural applications.

The lessons and experiences descending from this practical approach begin to answer some common questions such as “what’s the matter with concrete?” as well as hint at certain possible solutions. Therefore, I have made it my focus in this thesis to extrapolate from my exploratory findings in an effort to progressively reconstitute the notions of concrete. The approach taken has been twofold in that my eff orts explore this material directly through a collaborative process with engineers to modernize its long standing notions. The latter approach pursues its technical implementation into an architectural application by means of a design through making process which is continuously informed by the lessons of this material. Ultimately two main forming ideas are explored whereby the main constraints include producing two-sided panels while not piercing the fabric which sustains them during their liquid state.

“New processes offer elevation of the art of architecture: more control, higher quality, and improved features. To do so, we must look deeper into what lies beyond mere appearances- to see how we do things, not merely what they look like. Gravity and hierarchy no longer dictate all processes. We must forge general and project based relations with those whom architecture has in the past avoided, not only contractors, but also product engineers and materials scientists.” Stephen Kieran & James Timberlake