What is concrete, where is it found, and when did it become important as an architectural material? How is concrete traditional and modern at the same time? What are the environmental repercussions of its use?
Who were the early players in the production of concrete and how did this material come to be used worldwide? Can we talk about “national” characteristics in the use of concrete?
How did concrete become synonymous with architects’ social engagement? Think about Juan O’Gorman’s schools, and the way that the use of cement was promoted in Mexican journals and literature.
What kinds of regional modern architectures did concrete make possible in Brazil, and how did they contribute to a new national identity? What is the notion of “cannibalization,” and how might it apply to the relationship between European and Brazilian modernist architects?
How did Le Corbusier use reinforced concrete? How did reinforced concrete allow Le Corbusier to answer the predicament “Architecture or Revolution” pronounced at the end of his book Towards an Architecture (1923)?