This section of the C & CI website is aimed specifically at the architectural profession. Use this section to:

- explore the joy of concrete buildings around the world

- obtain advice on the use and finishes of architectural concrete

- communicate with us regarding assistance we can offer in concrete construction

Ideally we would like to promote South African concrete architecture, but obviously there is some great work
around the world, please use our site regularly as a conduit for universal architectural stimulation.

C&CI Architectural Student Design Competition 2010

Announcing the third annual C&CI Architectural Student Design Competition with its theme of REUSE, REDUCE, RECYCLE, the Cement & Concrete Institute’s Daniel van der Merwe had the following to say to students: “It is intended for this competition to become the primary student competition questioning issues of sustainability in architecture. As such, I trust that your participation will allow much more debate; lead to an increase in the promotion of innovation and contribute to the information exchange around issues of sustainability in our profession.”

“The C&CI sponsors this competition to stimulate debate around the challenges of sustainable development and to allow resultant architectural ideas. The C&CI encourages Portland cement-based material innovations and applications, which can extend the opportunities for sustainability in the built environment.”

THE JUDGING PANEL
Fernando Menis (Spain) . Anton Gabril (Spain).
Mphethi Morojele (SA). Andrew Makin (SA). 
Enrico  Daffonchio  (IT/SA).

MOVING SPACE 2010                                         
For the C&CI’s 2010 short film competition students are again invited to focus a critical gaze on the built environment, in particular the urban environment and the role of concrete in it .   We are looking for moving image proposals that will provide insight and/or investigate solutions to the issues thrown up by AZA2010.
For more information click HERE.

2010 Moving Space Winners

MOVING SPACE 2009   
Productions of the five student documentaries on Concrete and Architecture in SA where completed, and the final edited documentaries were screened twice at a mini C&CI Film Festival at the African City Perspectives National Convention 2009, UP,  which was attended by architects, academics and students and to great acclaim. The venue was packed to capacity with a total of 500 seats. Popcorn, hot dogs and coke which was served after each screening were very well received and with great appreciation by the hungry crowds!. Daniel organized & coordinated the event the event with Architects Africa Collective, and gave an introductorily presentation which was followed by introducing the award winning student film producers and a screening.  Copies of the documentaries are being distributed to DSTV and the SABC for TV screening, and will be distributed to future Film Festivals and websites.

Registrations for the C&CI Master Class have opened click here to access the registration form www.aza2010.org/register.html

In 2010 C&CI is honoured to be hosting another International Design Masterclass and Public Lecture series with multiple award-winning Spanish architect Fernando Menis as the primary mentor. Menis is greatly sought after across the globe for his workshops and lectures. His bold, experimental and expressive work in concrete is an inspiration for those who love concrete as the new ‘liquid stone’ befitting of our age. Added to that, his focus on social housing and environmentally responsible building utilising concrete, will offer South African architects a rare insight into possibilities for the future.

“Thanks to the constant interplay of reason and emotion, the built object becomes a living organism that evolves with time.” FERNANDO MENIS

The South African Institute of Architects introduces Architecture.ZA2010 as the first biennial national architecture festival incorporating the 7th Biennial South African Institute of Architects Convention and the Annual Architectural Students Congress. The mission of Architecure.ZA2010 is to celebrate, explore and promote architecture as a force for innovation and change in our cities and societies, and to enhance architectural discourse on our urban futures. Architects and other cultural producers, academics, scholars and the public at large will be offered the opportunity to meet, observe, discuss, learn and reflect on our urban domain. International and local speakers, an exposition, a film festival, workshops, exhibitions, performances and tours will enrich the festival program. You are invited to participate by submitting motivations for papers, abstracts and other proposals of participation. For more information contact Daniel van der Merwe or see www.aza2010.org

This up-and-coming architect displays his abilities in not only large and smaller-scale constructions; he is also intensely involved in urban planning and renovation projects. His unique formal vocabulary is powerful, yet committed to international modernism. He uses concrete as his favorite material of expression-  in the most sculptural and powerful manner; turning this liquid stone into expressions of  heavy and light, rough and smooth textural interplays and a play of light and shadow. His buildings fit in organically with the Canary Islands’ topography, taking reference to its topography and geology, thus turning the buildings into a contextual dialogue with its surrounds. This approach can be found in many details of his work.
The MAGMA Arts and Convention Centre opened on Tenerife in 2005: Fernando Menis succeeded in creating a grandiose building, which can hold its own against any of the recent large-scale structures worldwide in terms of quality, design and function. Wherever possible, he used local building materials. The rough stone evokes natural rock formations as well as an almost archaic indestructibility. Shortly after completion, the heavy concrete body’s unusual shape has become a striking landmark.  
A further project whose result is eagerly awaited is the Santísimo Redentor Church in La Laguna, Tenerife. Once again, it takes up elements of its surroundings, and the play with natural light and ventilation creates an archetypal and timeless sacred space which evokes almost primordial feelings of spirituality.

Architecture has the power to fulfil the aesthetic, ideological, and political mission to transform society and our lives. The architecture of Jo Noero provides an insight into the power of an original architectural imagination. This book illustrates magnificently his buildings – as a manifestation of original ways of architectural thinking, of identifying with Africa, and of practising and engaging with the various contexts and issues presented in South Africa.
We experience visual delight in buildings through the assemblage of colours, textures, forms and structure. Yet it is often in the honest raw materiality of the unadorned fact of building, and not in an ostentatious claim, that the viewer takes a sensual delight. The use of architectural concrete in these projects reflects the quiet of pure aesthetics. The popularity of concrete, sometimes called ‘liquid stone’, is indicative of its creative appeal, versatility and adaptability. The stories of architecture in this book could not be told without highlighting the process of this material’s transformation – from its role as a concealed support through to its self-confident emergence as an element in a building’s façade or interiors. 
The Cement and Concrete Institute is a non-profit organization which is proud to be associated with this seminal work. Since 1938 we have contributed both directly and indirectly towards raising an awareness of architecture in this country and have promoted, advised and educated towards the success of concrete.