CAST-IN-PLACE ARCHITECTONIC CONCRETE IN SOUTH KOREA: METHODS AND SPECIFICATIONS

With its low environmental impact, availability, cost-effectiveness and versatility, exposed concrete became the first construction material choice for Korean architects. The French embassy in Seoul, designed by Kim Chung-Up and completed in 1962, is the first Korean example of concrete use in the country. Concrete marked a turning point in the contemporary Korean architecture by its design and its material properties. To express the originality and quality of exposed concrete and describe its architectonic texture, the processes of placing and finishing have to be performed before and after pouring the concrete in the vertical formwork. The lack of fulfilling these requirements usually results in a low quality surface output. In this paper, we review the main exposed concrete pathologies, present a detailed quality control process and analyze the actual South Korean exposed concrete cast-in-place recommendations.