“Wet-casting. Self-consolidating concrete. Glass-fiber-reinforced concrete. Roto molding. Injection molding…”
Regarding our Concrete Tech:
These are some of the terms a concrete professional might use to try and describe how our concrete is made. But they would be wrong. And while a couple of these techniques have informed our processes, none were sufficient for the versatility and strength required by our geometries. We needed to develop a new technique—actually, three new techniques—to find just the right combination for our castings to work.
This is how we did it:
We began with our expertise in Specialty Concrete. Then we took a step back. We began looking at other industries. At other materials. Then we started pulling ideas from these industries and their manufacturing processes. We started playing with these new ideas. With new materials. Adding them to concrete. We began developing new casting techniques for these new materials. And new mold designs. We developed new curing timelines. Processing protocols. Finishing techniques. Then we began prototyping our designs. Casting, after casting. We had a lot of failures. We tried new techniques, new combinations. New materials. New molds. Casting, after casting.
Then, we had a success. And more successes.
We built on these. Designed new molds. Found more improvements. Prototyped, prototyped. Tested. Tested. Eventually we found the techniques. And the materials. We found our way. We found the set of materials and techniques that would allow us to design freely and make incredibly strong objects.
Luxe Concrete:
And while we are proud of what we have learned and the strength of our concrete, we are even more proud of how it looks and feels. It looks like abstract field painting—with subtle variations in color, gradient, visual texture—and it feels like artisanal concrete should—silky, solid, smooth, cold, raw, alluring, alive.
It really does need to be seen and felt to be fully appreciated.