Why Concrete?
Inspiration from cities and how we can reinterpret the urban canvas

This is an event which will be run via Zoom at the following time:

11th January 2023 from 09:30 - 12:30

Please note that this event will be recorded and will be made available to delegates after the event. For more information on recording and privacy please click here.

Once you have booked onto the event a link to register your attendance will be sent to your email automatically – please follow the instructions therein to receive instructions on how to attend, as well as the Zoom link.

Steve Williams is a pioneering designer who runs his own design practice in Bristol, he is also Co-director at London based Wild City Studio who focus on nature & community centered public and residential schemes in the urban setting.

Concrete has been used the world over for thousands of years largely due to it’s versatility and durability. However, modern concrete use has become a symbol for unsustainable and environmentally damaging materials.

How can we reinterpret existing concrete surfaces and materials in the urban environment and also create new concrete structures without the ecological impact and guilty conscience?

“I’ve always had a fascination with concrete from striking brutalist buildings to neglected urban spaces. It is often in neglected spaces where we can get most inspiration. Motorway verges, brownfield sites and derelict buildings host the most vibrant displays of wildflowers and meadows, over time becoming fully resilient woodlands and forests. But it’s the interplay between concrete and wilder planting environments that is most exciting, a ‘concrete canvas’ acting as an exciting symbol of where our urban futures can take us.”

This lecture focuses on Steve’s interpretation of concrete in the urban setting focusing on a variety of his own garden case studies:

• Reimagining existing concrete materials in new landscape features
• Wild porosity and creating durable structures that let nature permeate the urban landscape.
• Waste aggregates for creating resilient plant communities
• Crushing existing materials for use in construction
• Innovative new concrete materials exploring the use of CEMFREE in small garden settings and larger developments

Target Audience: Designers interested in environmentally conscious materials and practices