{"id":2722,"date":"2015-11-09T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-11-09T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/architizer.wpengine.com\/the-7-ages-of-modern-concrete\/"},"modified":"2022-05-31T10:03:49","modified_gmt":"2022-05-31T14:03:49","slug":"the-7-ages-of-modern-concrete","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/inspiration\/stories\/the-7-ages-of-modern-concrete\/","title":{"rendered":"The 7 Ages of Modern Concrete"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Architects: Showcase your next project through <a href=\"http:\/\/architizer.com\/register\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Architizer<\/a> and sign up for our <a href=\"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/architizer\/newslettersubscribe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">inspirational newsletter<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Over the past century, the perception of concrete has more dramatically fluctuated than that of any other material. At various times and locations across the globe, this ubiquitous substance has experienced life as architecture\u2019s most loved and loathed material, simultaneously its most iconic and its most divisive. The humble mixture of aggregate and cement has inspired entire theoretical movements within the profession and helped alter entire cities in the process. As a consequence, many concrete buildings now stand as powerful social metaphors that reflect the very identity of the people that designed, built, and lived within them.<\/p>\n<p>Phaidon\u2019s book, simply titled <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2Kud3Im\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Concrete<\/a>, succinctly communicates the evolution of this material and its use over the course of the last 100 years via a collection of stunning photographs of iconic structures around the world. Exploring this expansive gallery, it is possible to identify key architectural moments that sum up remarkable chapters in the life of this, the planet\u2019s most-used building material. Echoing Shakespeare\u2019s \u201cSeven Ages of Man,\u201d we look at seven of the most seminal moments for contemporary concrete and its most influential advocates:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\n\t<img class=\"lazy\"\n\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/themes\/architizer\/assets\/images\/blank.png\"\n\t\tdata-src=\"https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/14468363003061670850-slide-066-ennis-house.jpg?fit=max&#038;w=1680&#038;q=60&#038;auto=format&#038;auto=compress&#038;cs=strip\"\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-srcset=\"https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/14468363003061670850-slide-066-ennis-house.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=1680&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 1680w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/14468363003061670850-slide-066-ennis-house.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=1080&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 1080w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/14468363003061670850-slide-066-ennis-house.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=760&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 760w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/14468363003061670850-slide-066-ennis-house.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=625&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 625w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/14468363003061670850-slide-066-ennis-house.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=368&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 368w\"\n\t\t\tsizes=\"(min-width: 1680px) 1680px,(min-width: 1080px) 1080px,(min-width: 760px) 760px,(min-width: 625px) 625px,368px\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"\"\n\t\titemprop=\"contentUrl\"\n\t>\n<\/div>\n\n<p><i>Via <a href=\"http:\/\/www.fastcodesign.com\/1670850\/10-masterpiece-buildings-that-turn-concrete-into-poetry\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Co.Design<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n<h2>1. Infancy<\/h2>\n<p><b> Ennis House<\/b> by Frank Lloyd Wright, Los Angeles, Calif., United States, 1924<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe concrete block? The cheapest (and ugliest) thing in the world,\u201d wrote Frank Lloyd Wright, reflecting on his opening experiments with concrete as a construction material for a series of four textile block houses in California, including Ennis House. \u201cWhy not see what could be done with the gutter-rat? It might be permanent, noble, beautiful.\u201d While Wright was by no means a child in architectural terms by 1924, his use of concrete was in its infancy. He would go on to utilize it for some of the most famous buildings of the 20th century, including the iconic Fallingwater in Pennsylvania and the Guggenheim Museum in New York.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\n\t<img class=\"lazy\"\n\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/themes\/architizer\/assets\/images\/blank.png\"\n\t\tdata-src=\"https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/1446836469877MG_6131-Edit.jpg?fit=max&#038;w=1680&#038;q=60&#038;auto=format&#038;auto=compress&#038;cs=strip\"\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-srcset=\"https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/1446836469877MG_6131-Edit.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=1680&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 1680w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/1446836469877MG_6131-Edit.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=1080&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 1080w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/1446836469877MG_6131-Edit.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=760&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 760w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/1446836469877MG_6131-Edit.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=625&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 625w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/1446836469877MG_6131-Edit.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=368&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 368w\"\n\t\t\tsizes=\"(min-width: 1680px) 1680px,(min-width: 1080px) 1080px,(min-width: 760px) 760px,(min-width: 625px) 625px,368px\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"\"\n\t\titemprop=\"contentUrl\"\n\t>\n<\/div>\n\n<p><i>Via <a href=\"http:\/\/www.uncubemagazine.com\/blog\/10272227\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Uncube<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n<h2>2. Schoolboy<\/h2>\n<p><b> Clones of Unit\u00e9 d\u2019Habitation<\/b> by Le Corbusier, Marseille, France, 1952<\/p>\n<p>According to one interpretation of the original seven stages, the \u201cschoolboy\u201d displays the immaturity of a man \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.quora.com\/What-is-the-explanation-of-Shakespeares-poem-Seven-Ages-Of-Man\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">not confident enough to exercise his own discretion<\/a>.\u201d This description does not necessarily apply to Le Corbusier\u2019s iconic Unit\u00e9 d\u2019Habitation, but, rather, the many ill-advised high-rise blocks it inspired, such as the infamous Park Hill estate in Sheffield, England. Thankfully, <a href=\"http:\/\/architizer.com\/firms\/hawkinsbrown\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">HawkinsBrown<\/a> has shown that, as in life, you can learn from past mistakes in architecture: their <a href=\"http:\/\/architizer.com\/projects\/park-hill\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">savvy renovation<\/a> of that housing complex in 2011 earned them a nomination for the Stirling Prize, the United Kingdom\u2019s prestigious architectural award.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\n\t<img class=\"lazy\"\n\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/themes\/architizer\/assets\/images\/blank.png\"\n\t\tdata-src=\"https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/14468363521731670850-slide-022-las-manaritales.jpg?fit=max&#038;w=1680&#038;q=60&#038;auto=format&#038;auto=compress&#038;cs=strip\"\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-srcset=\"https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/14468363521731670850-slide-022-las-manaritales.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=1680&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 1680w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/14468363521731670850-slide-022-las-manaritales.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=1080&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 1080w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/14468363521731670850-slide-022-las-manaritales.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=760&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 760w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/14468363521731670850-slide-022-las-manaritales.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=625&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 625w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/14468363521731670850-slide-022-las-manaritales.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=368&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 368w\"\n\t\t\tsizes=\"(min-width: 1680px) 1680px,(min-width: 1080px) 1080px,(min-width: 760px) 760px,(min-width: 625px) 625px,368px\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"\"\n\t\titemprop=\"contentUrl\"\n\t>\n<\/div>\n\n<p><i>Via <a href=\"http:\/\/www.fastcodesign.com\/1670850\/10-masterpiece-buildings-that-turn-concrete-into-poetry\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Co.Design<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n<h2>3. Lover<\/h2>\n<p><b> Los Manantiales Restaurant<\/b> by F\u00e9lix Candela, Mexico City, Mexico, 1958<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps one of the most passionate odes to concrete ever created, Candela\u2019s impossibly thin undulating canopy formed an instant architectural icon in Mexico City. Just as a lover never holds back in expressing their feelings, Candela waxed lyrical about his design and the beauty of concrete as a structural material: \u201cI think it is unsurpassed and all that a shell should be: simple, graceful, and light.\u201d Indeed, Candela\u2019s love affair with concrete was remarkable; in the present day, perhaps only <a href=\"http:\/\/architizer.com\/firms\/tadao-ando-architect-associates\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tadao Ando<\/a> comes close to such adoration of this material.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\n\t<img class=\"lazy\"\n\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/themes\/architizer\/assets\/images\/blank.png\"\n\t\tdata-src=\"https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/1446836603887GovernmentServiceCenter-MarkPasnik.jpg?fit=max&#038;w=1680&#038;q=60&#038;auto=format&#038;auto=compress&#038;cs=strip\"\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-srcset=\"https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/1446836603887GovernmentServiceCenter-MarkPasnik.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=1680&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 1680w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/1446836603887GovernmentServiceCenter-MarkPasnik.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=1080&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 1080w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/1446836603887GovernmentServiceCenter-MarkPasnik.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=760&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 760w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/1446836603887GovernmentServiceCenter-MarkPasnik.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=625&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 625w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/1446836603887GovernmentServiceCenter-MarkPasnik.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=368&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 368w\"\n\t\t\tsizes=\"(min-width: 1680px) 1680px,(min-width: 1080px) 1080px,(min-width: 760px) 760px,(min-width: 625px) 625px,368px\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"\"\n\t\titemprop=\"contentUrl\"\n\t>\n<\/div>\n\n<p><i>Via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kickstarter.com\/projects\/chrisgrimley\/the-heroic-project?ref=category_most_funded\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kickstarter<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n<h2>4. Soldier<\/h2>\n<p><b> Government Service Center<\/b> by Paul Rudolph, Boston, Mass., 1971<\/p>\n<p>The \u201csoldier\u201d stage of man <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quora.com\/What-is-the-explanation-of-Shakespeares-poem-Seven-Ages-Of-Man\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">is described<\/a> thusly: \u201cHe is hot headed. He is always working towards making a reputation for himself, however short-lived it may be, even at the cost of foolish risks.\u201d This sounds a lot like Brutalism, one of the most iconic examples of which being Paul Rudolph\u2019s controversial Government Service Center in Boston. Of course, not all brutalist buildings are big and brash: Urlaubsarchitektur\u2019s concrete cabin proves that the style lives on in some sophisticated contemporary projects.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\n\t<img class=\"lazy\"\n\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/themes\/architizer\/assets\/images\/blank.png\"\n\t\tdata-src=\"https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/1446836754863cddbdd38aaaf51e7a422bbb47efbb93a022de88e.jpg?fit=max&#038;w=1680&#038;q=60&#038;auto=format&#038;auto=compress&#038;cs=strip\"\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-srcset=\"https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/1446836754863cddbdd38aaaf51e7a422bbb47efbb93a022de88e.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=1680&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 1680w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/1446836754863cddbdd38aaaf51e7a422bbb47efbb93a022de88e.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=1080&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 1080w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/1446836754863cddbdd38aaaf51e7a422bbb47efbb93a022de88e.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=760&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 760w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/1446836754863cddbdd38aaaf51e7a422bbb47efbb93a022de88e.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=625&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 625w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/1446836754863cddbdd38aaaf51e7a422bbb47efbb93a022de88e.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=368&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 368w\"\n\t\t\tsizes=\"(min-width: 1680px) 1680px,(min-width: 1080px) 1080px,(min-width: 760px) 760px,(min-width: 625px) 625px,368px\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"\"\n\t\titemprop=\"contentUrl\"\n\t>\n<\/div>\n\n<p><i> Via <a href=\"http:\/\/www.free-d.nl:8080\/uploads\/default\/scale_1024x768_q100\/cddbdd38aaaf51e7a422bbb47efbb93a022de88e.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Free-D<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n<h2>5. Justice<\/h2>\n<p><b> Casa da M\u00fasica<\/b> by <a href=\"http:\/\/architizer.com\/firms\/oma\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">OMA<\/a>, Porto, Portugal, 2005<\/p>\n<p>At this stage of life, one is deemed to have \u201cacquired wisdom through the many experiences he has had in life, and is likely to impart it. He has reached a stage where he has gained prosperity and social status.\u201d Perhaps the most influential proponent of the profession over the past 30 years is Rem Koolhaas of OMA, designer of the assured, angular form of the Casa da M\u00fasica in Porto, Portugal. The \u2018imparted wisdom\u2019 of this design can be witnessed in a number of more recent projects, such as <a href=\"http:\/\/architizer.com\/firms\/bunker-arquitectura\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BNKR Arquitectura<\/a>\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/architizer.com\/projects\/sunset-chapel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sunset Chapel<\/a> in Acapulco, Mexico.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\n\t<img class=\"lazy\"\n\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/themes\/architizer\/assets\/images\/blank.png\"\n\t\tdata-src=\"https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/14468360949181670850-poster-1280-102-meiso-no-mori-crematorium.jpg?fit=max&#038;w=1680&#038;q=60&#038;auto=format&#038;auto=compress&#038;cs=strip\"\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-srcset=\"https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/14468360949181670850-poster-1280-102-meiso-no-mori-crematorium.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=1680&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 1680w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/14468360949181670850-poster-1280-102-meiso-no-mori-crematorium.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=1080&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 1080w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/14468360949181670850-poster-1280-102-meiso-no-mori-crematorium.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=760&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 760w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/14468360949181670850-poster-1280-102-meiso-no-mori-crematorium.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=625&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 625w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/14468360949181670850-poster-1280-102-meiso-no-mori-crematorium.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=368&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 368w\"\n\t\t\tsizes=\"(min-width: 1680px) 1680px,(min-width: 1080px) 1080px,(min-width: 760px) 760px,(min-width: 625px) 625px,368px\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"\"\n\t\titemprop=\"contentUrl\"\n\t>\n<\/div>\n\n<p><i>Via <a href=\"http:\/\/www.fastcodesign.com\/1670850\/10-masterpiece-buildings-that-turn-concrete-into-poetry\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Co.Design<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n<h2>6. Old Age<\/h2>\n<p><b> Meiso no Mori Crematorium<\/b> by <a href=\"http:\/\/architizer.com\/firms\/toyo-ito-associates-architects\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Toyo Ito and Associates Architects<\/a>, Kakamigahara City, Japan, 2006<\/p>\n<p>Shakespeare\u2019s sardonic character states that, at this stage of life, man is \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.quora.com\/What-is-the-explanation-of-Shakespeares-poem-Seven-Ages-Of-Man\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a shell of his former self<\/a>.\u201d In architectural terms, the maturity of concrete as a construction material has seen it used in increasingly delicate ways, evolving from the monumental, aggressive styles of the Brutalist period to a passive, almost introverted material in many projects. Japanese architect <a href=\"http:\/\/architizer.com\/firms\/toyo-ito-associates-architects\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Toyo Ito<\/a> produced a particularly poetic example of architectural understatement with concrete, creating a canopy for a crematorium that the architect describes as \u201cfloating above the site like slowly drifting clouds.\u201d It is a far cry from the Brutalism of the 1970s, but does evoke memories of modernists such as Oscar Niemeyer and F\u00e9lix Candela.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\n\t<img class=\"lazy\"\n\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/themes\/architizer\/assets\/images\/blank.png\"\n\t\tdata-src=\"https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/14468357869611a87b0b90a1f69bd6c85b3de4c9c95f9.jpg?fit=max&#038;w=1680&#038;q=60&#038;auto=format&#038;auto=compress&#038;cs=strip\"\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-srcset=\"https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/14468357869611a87b0b90a1f69bd6c85b3de4c9c95f9.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=1680&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 1680w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/14468357869611a87b0b90a1f69bd6c85b3de4c9c95f9.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=1080&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 1080w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/14468357869611a87b0b90a1f69bd6c85b3de4c9c95f9.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=760&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 760w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/14468357869611a87b0b90a1f69bd6c85b3de4c9c95f9.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=625&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 625w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/14468357869611a87b0b90a1f69bd6c85b3de4c9c95f9.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=368&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 368w\"\n\t\t\tsizes=\"(min-width: 1680px) 1680px,(min-width: 1080px) 1080px,(min-width: 760px) 760px,(min-width: 625px) 625px,368px\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"\"\n\t\titemprop=\"contentUrl\"\n\t>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2>7. Second Innocence<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/architizer.com\/projects\/guangzhou-opera-house-1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><b>Guangzhou Opera House<\/b><\/a> by <a href=\"http:\/\/architizer.com\/firms\/zaha-hadid-architects\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zaha Hadid Architects<\/a>, Guangzhou, China, 2010<\/p>\n<p>In the last of the seven stages one is said to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quora.com\/What-is-the-explanation-of-Shakespeares-poem-Seven-Ages-Of-Man\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">regain innocence<\/a>, echoing the fresh, unaffected perspective experienced during infancy. In terms of architects\u2019 uses of concrete, new technologies have spawned new styles leading us to reexamine applications of materials from the ground up. The parametric architecture of <a href=\"http:\/\/architizer.com\/firms\/zaha-hadid-architects\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zaha Hadid<\/a> is a case in point: the practice has had to experiment with alternative manufacturing and building techniques to create many of its algorithm-driven designs, including the concrete panels of the Guangzhou Opera House in China. New processes bring with them fresh challenges, opportunities, and mistakes \u2014 but they also have the power to breathe new life into this age-old material.<\/p>\n<p><i>Want see more outstanding concrete projects? Check out Phaidon&#8217;s book <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2Kud3Im\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Concrete<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\n\t<img class=\"lazy\"\n\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/themes\/architizer\/assets\/images\/blank.png\"\n\t\tdata-src=\"https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/1446851067387concrete.jpg?fit=max&#038;w=1680&#038;q=60&#038;auto=format&#038;auto=compress&#038;cs=strip\"\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-srcset=\"https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/1446851067387concrete.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=1680&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 1680w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/1446851067387concrete.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=1080&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 1080w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/1446851067387concrete.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=760&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 760w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/1446851067387concrete.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=625&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 625w,https:\/\/architizer-prod.imgix.net\/media\/1446851067387concrete.jpg?fit=max&amp;w=368&amp;q=60&amp;auto=format&amp;auto=compress&amp;cs=strip 368w\"\n\t\t\tsizes=\"(min-width: 1680px) 1680px,(min-width: 1080px) 1080px,(min-width: 760px) 760px,(min-width: 625px) 625px,368px\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"\"\n\t\titemprop=\"contentUrl\"\n\t>\n<\/div>\n\n<p><em>Architects: Showcase your next project through <a href=\"http:\/\/architizer.com\/register\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Architizer<\/a> and sign up for our <a href=\"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/architizer\/newslettersubscribe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">inspirational newsletter<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Echoing Shakespeare\u2019s \u201cSeven Ages of Man,\u201d we look at seven of the most seminal moments for contemporary concrete and its most influential advocates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"architizer_featured_type":"projects","architizer_featured_image":"1364849","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5],"tags":[18],"architizer_project":[],"architizer_brand":[],"architizer_firm":[],"architizer_product":[],"class_list":["post-2722","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-practice","category-stories","tag-buildings"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - 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