Architizer A+ Award for Precast-elements
The Architizer A+ Award is one of the biggest award-programs focusing on architecture and products. Every year an international jury nominates the best finalists in several categories. Participants from more than 100 countries guarantee that really only absolute Top-projects and –products are short-listed. The winner of the award is then elected during a 3-weeks online-voting.
This year’s winner in the categorie “Outdoor furniture” is the Croma bench-system of the Hungarian company VPI Concrete Design & Manufacture. Croma is a furniture-system made of concrete consisting of 5 modules which can be combined in many different ways, depending on the needs and the available room.
Since it is mainly used in cities the durability and longevity of the material is most important. Therefore VPI finally decided to use a fiber-reinforced high-performance-concrete. But not only the physical advantages are important, even more important is the outstanding design in combination with a high-class surface which finally also was the reason for winning the award. The cherry on the top: the visual enhancement of the surface by means of integrated ornaments.
Usage of a synthetic high-performance fiber
All these complex and high demands could have been realized thanks to the usage of a synthetic high-performance fiber of the Swiss company Brugg Contec. The fiber named Fibrofor High Grad is able to reduce or even replace conventional steel reinforcement. Therefore even very fine and/or curved elements can be reinforced and casted without problems. Corrosion or better rust, very often a problem and no-go in the world of architecture, is no more an issue.
In addition the edges of the elements are protected because the fibers are everywhere and reach right to the surface but without being visible. And the above mentioned cherry on the top, the ornaments, are also no big deal, says Brugg Contec, because with High Grade fibers the surface of the concrete can be treated in any possible way, even polishing and the integration of ornaments are possible.
This application proves one more time that concrete has been taken to the skies of architecture with good cause.
