After a long period of being synonymous with urban deprivation and dreary stained surfaces, concrete is now chic. A favourite material of fashionable style magazines, it is becoming ubiquitous in shops, restaurants and even homes. Concrete is in fact a fabulous material, which can be used in a huge range of techniques and situations. Its colour, texture and constituents vary, it may be cheaply mass produced or meticulously crafted, and new developments and increased understanding of its possibilities are inspiring contemporary architects and designers. Concrete Architecture begins by asking questions such as: What is concrete? What is its history? How is concrete used? The book goes on to look at recent architectural projects that use concrete for an enormous range of building types. All the examples chosen celebrate the intrinsic qualities of concrete and how they work to create the places in which we live, work, and play. A range of projects from around the world includes a private house in the Netherlands by UN Studio and Canary Wharf Underground Station in London by Foster and Partners.

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Catherine Croft is currently Director of the Twentieth Century Society and is a regular contributor to a number of architectural journals, including Building Design.