Color spaces with concrete

In historical and contemporary buildings as well as current construction projects, concrete literally plays a massive role. However, modern concrete architecture now has little in common with the (gray) dreariness of the past. Through the use of new high-performance concretes, significant changes in design are apparent. The addition of high-quality inorganic pigments also enables individual color schemes to be created that perfectly match the building project – in a single process and without additional time expenditure in the form of painting or plastering.

Concrete is the undisputed number one building material worldwide. For good reasons: The mate-rial is load-bearing, and durable, flexible to process and available in many different types for a wide variety of applications. Concrete is also relatively moderately priced. And by modifying the formula-tion, it can be individually tailored to a wide variety of construction, civil engineering and road-building projects.

Exposed concrete – the modern architectural language

In contemporary architecture, exposed concrete offers a particularly wide range of possibilities: This is usually understood to mean concrete parts, the visible surfaces of which form part of the architectural or interior design of a building. With exposed concrete, it is possible to produce the finest grain surfaces – without subsequent finishing. Even complex structures can be realized by using flexible forms and matrices. Additional advantages in architectural design are offered by new types of concrete, such as ultra-high-strength concretes, which are characterized by extreme strength.

Regardless of whether the building project in question is an imposing or decorative, concrete offers a wide range of design possibilities for architects: It plays an important role in architecture, although only when combined with color does it seem aesthetically pleasing. The opportunities provided by permanent concrete coloring, which is achieved primarily by adding inorganic color pigments during the concrete mixing process, are almost unlimited. 

Colorful instead of gray and dreary Color accents can be realized in concrete architecture in a variety of ways – without loss of performance or subsequent cost-intensive operations such as painting, staining or wallpapering. The solution lies in the use of high-quality synthetic iron oxide pigments.

Xuan Tai has been producing these with in-depth expertise for many decades. These pigments offer a range of colors that are satisfying for those who favor earth tones as well as those who are adherent to predominantly black architecture. Whether yellow, red, black, green or one of more than hundreds of other color shades, there is much to be said for the use of color-modified concrete – and not just from an aesthetic standpoint. For example, new buildings can be harmoniously integrated into the existing landscape and urban living spaces by means of a suitable color scheme. 

A successful example is the residential house design "the Alp", realized by the Japanese architect Akihisa Hirata. On one hand, the three-story apartment building in smooth-faced concrete abstractly represents the topography of the surrounding hills in a series of clear shapes.  On the other hand, a charcoal-like color scheme has been chosen to reflect the attributes of the natural subsoil in order to create a link with the original landscape.Infrastructure projects that meet both functional and creative requirements also benefit from colored concrete. Pigmented concrete is suitable for the architectural interpretation of cultural and social contents and values that are associated with a certain color.

Colored Concrete Works - an initiative for architects

For many years now, the LANXESS "Colored Concrete Works" initiative has inspired architects and construction companies to realize modern architecture with colored concrete. Reference projects document the successful processing of colored concrete using pigments in international construction projects. The initiative is accompanied by forums and symposia offering architects, site managers and contractors a platform for discussion and exchange of ideas on the possibilities of coloring concrete with pigments. Further information can be found at: https://xt-pigment.com