Concrete Experimentation

Ferrocement

Ferrocement is a term for concrete which is thin in section, is heavily reinforced with several layers of wire mesh, and is mixed with a high ratio of cement to sand and minimal quantity of water, just enough to trigger hydration, the chemical reaction with cement that forms concrete.

On Kythnos, a hybrid structural system is in operation, with the ferrocement working in tandem with an underlying frame. In GBB I, the frame is made of the 4x4-cm wood posts of the original panels, while the other three structures employ dexion angles. Dexion is a system of perforated mild steel angles — a kind of grown-up version of the Erector Set or Meccano toys.

Ferrocement surfaces exhibit elastic deformation properties, more closely relating to the encased steel meshes, than does conventional concrete. A hard strike with a fist to the center of a panel prompts drum-like vibrations.

This elastic property, in conjunction with the system of assembly, where the dexion structural members are bolted together and all interior and exterior plaster is encased in wire mesh, points to good earthquake resistance.

Greece is earthquake country, and it is comforting to know that we sleep in light-weight buildings which, in a worst-case scenario, may bend and deform but would not send heavy concrete slabs crushing down on our beds.