Concrete placed and finished to serve as a visual feature of a building while still providing structural support. Because the surface remains permanently visible, it requires strict control over mix proportions, formwork quality, and placement techniques to prevent color variations, bugholes, and joint irregularities.
The lobby walls are architectural concrete, so make sure those form liners are spotless before we pour.
Mistakes in architectural concrete cannot be hidden behind drywall, so crews often use specialized form release agents and tight vibration patterns to ensure a flawless finish.
Related terms
Bugholes
Small surface pits on vertical formed concrete left by air bubbles trapped against the form face.
Formwork
The temporary molds, supports and bracing that hold fresh concrete in shape until it can carry itself.
Honeycomb
Patches of bare, loosely bound stone with open gaps, left where paste never worked in around the coarse rock.