Private residences in two towers on the Miami mainland. Concrete cosmetic treatment of exposed concrete walls and interior columns.
The two 22-storey towers on the Miami mainland house private condominiums. The artistic work mainly involved columns and walls in the interiors, but also other exposed concrete objects such as planters and concrete counters. The main problems were gravel pockets created during the casting process and undesirable colour gradients in the concrete surface.
Location:
Miami, Florida, USA
Object:
Coconut Grove at Grand Bay
Architect:
Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)
Exposed concrete element (bar) with unwanted dark colour effects. A colour adjustment was required by lightening the dark areas without losing the character of the exposed concrete
Exposed concrete bar after concrete cosmetics. The visually disturbing stains were adjusted to the desired light tone by applying different coloured glazes. By using different shades of grey, the vibrancy of the exposed concrete was preserved.
The columns are very stained. While maintaining the concrete appearance, the stains are to be removed.
Exposed concrete columns after concrete cosmetics. The stains disappeared after applying a light glaze. The lively character of the exposed concrete was restored
Before applying the concrete cosmetic, the wall has an uneven surface.
After concrete cosmetics, the wall is bright and smooth.
The surface of the concrete and the formwork joint are washed out; the surface is uneven and rough, and the coarse aggregates of the concrete are visible. In addition, the area is also somewhat unstable and sands easily as soon as it is touched.
The unevenness in the form of gravel nests was closed and adapted to the original surface level. The washed-out, vertically running formwork joint was repaired while retaining its course, as it represents an important design element of the concrete surface. The individually adapted supplementary compound stabilises and strengthens the surface. The colour of the area was then adjusted to the original concrete surface by means of partial retouching.
