Cement, aggregates and water. These three main ingredients combine to form the most widely used building material in the world: concrete. Sometimes reviled as grey and unfinished, but equally celebrated for its purity. This ambiguous identity appeals to the imagination. Concrete is the structural material par excellence, which the Belgian cement industry wants to make circular and climate-neutral by 2050, but sometimes concrete construction is also attributed a musical role. When does its use transcend the functional and constructive? When does ‘béton brut’ take on an architectural, poetic or even aesthetic significance?

The Concrete Design Competition is an international ideas and design competition that encourages young designers to experiment with concrete. Febelcem, the Federation of the Belgian Cement Industry, organises the competition in Belgium. With the theme ‘transform’, the competition encourages students not only to explore the material, but also to reformulate the social, ecological and aesthetic conditions in which it is used. The winners will be invited to an international masterclass, which for this edition will take place in Vienna. For a week, renowned concrete experts, architects and teachers will introduce students to innovative concrete techniques and applications.