Fall 2018
Means of Expression: Concrete is so much more than just a construction material in this new home
by Paul Taylor
EXCERPT:
While many of us might view concrete as just another construction material, for designer FuTung Cheng it’s so much more.
“Of course it can function entirely as a structural material, but for me it’s also means of expression,” he says.
“It imitates anything you press against it – rough or smooth. I use it with integral colour and texture, so it becomes a lot more expressive than any other material.”
That relish in the versatility of concrete is apparent in his design of the home featured here, a 560m² family home on a 4000m² suburban site. The house itself is a cluster of five distinct structures – the two-storey main house, office, guest house, meditation centre and the garage.
Cheng’s aesthetic approach to concrete helps mark out the different elements on the front facade, with a double-storey wall of textured, board-formed concrete used on the main house, while the single storey office is in smooth-faced concrete.
All the concrete work in the house was fabricated and detailed by the designer, often creating hands-on, spontaneous compositions.