Concrete.RIP

The idea of our virtual and physical worlds being separate entities is becoming indistinct and the question of which space is more real increasingly blurred. We are reassuringly told that the future of archeology lies in 3D scanning and printing technologies, but what would happen if we were to use these technologies to examine the ruins of our recent history. Could we – for example – reconstruct brutalist architecture?

Conc(re)te is an open-access web resource for architects, designers, concrete enthusiasts and brutalist utopians. This digital archive is constructed from 3D scans of concrete debris from the, now demolished, Birmingham Central Library (an iconic example of brutalist architecture). Fragments of the concrete building will be made available as mutant copies to download, reuse and repurpose, creating the opportunity to rethink our relationship to the materials of our constructed world(s) and the narratives imbedded within them.

• Organisation
• Organisation