Sculptural fibreC by Rieder
John Hill
4. February 2013
Photo: Sabrina Scheja
Concrete is traditionally considered to be heavy and monolithic, but the addition of glass fibers changes concrete to something lightweight and even porous. The sculptural potential of this increasingly common method can be seen in the application of Rieder's Sculptural fibreC panels on Gasser Fassadentechnik's Swissbau 2012 pavilion, designed by L3P Architekten.
Since 2004 Rieder Smart Elements has produced fibreC, glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) panels for exterior and interior applications. A fairly basic installation can be seen at the Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York City, whose facade Rieder helped restore five years ago. But those who visited Swissbau last year got a peek at a much more complex application of the technology at the booth of Gasser Fassadentechnik, a sales partner of Rieder.
Photo: Sabrina Scheja
L3P Architekten took advantage of Rieder's Scultpural fibreC product to create mottled reliefs on the 13mm-thick (1/2-inch) skin. Patterned perforations can also be found piercing through the GFRC panels, regardless of their topography. The gray skin appears lunar-like from afar, but the textured skin resembles a fabric up close. These variations hint at the expressive potential of the technology that hopefully should be finding its way onto exterior facades in the near future.