One thing people often criticise about urban areas is how grey they can be. A lot of this comes down to the widespread use of concrete. It is the most popular construction material in the world, with uses for commercial architecture, infrastructure, housing, and more. Surprisingly though, there are more options for colours than you probably know. We want to look at that here.

Tones

Firstly, there can be massive tonal variations in standard concrete. It can be a very light grey, closer to an off-white. Or you can get a much darker tone like charcoal. So, it is not just one uniform grey colour.

You can the big variations in tone here because of differences in the mix. For example, it could be the type of cement and aggregate you are using. It could also be due to the origins of the cements and aggregates. Regional variations can have an impact on the final colour. Or it could be as simple as one batch of concrete having a higher proportion of aggregate than another.

Colours

You can go a step further here though and change the colour of concrete entirely. What you do is add different types of pigment to the mix or choose a specific colour of stone for the aggregate. It can make the concrete red, pink, yellow, and many other shades. As a result, it can make a much better impression. That makes it excellent for various types of commercial architecture as well as housing and more.

Polishing

Another option is to choose polished concrete. What happens here is you take a typical mix and finish it with a mechanical process that grinds the surface and polishes it. It can dramatically change the final colour of the material because it will be smooth and reflective. A great thing to do here is carefully choose colourful stones for the concrete mix; the grinding and polishing can make their colour really stand out.

Burnt cement

There is also an option to choose burnt cement. It has become a really popular interior design trend over the last few years. People who want industrial style designs love it, especially for flooring. It can have a similar array of colour options as pigmented concrete. More impressively though, it typically isn’t homogeneous, so you can have colour variations in the surface.

Do you want help with commercial architecture?

Coffey Architects can help clients to achieve stunning things with their buildings. We always keep an open mind and give our creativity free rein. It produces the best results, particularly when it comes to exploring materials. This can lead to designs that are stunning aesthetically, even when using things like concrete.

So, if you want to learn more and design commercial architecture with us, please get in touch. It will be a fun experience, especially when we look at different ideas and interpretations of your brief.