Exposed concrete is one of the most fascinating and demanding building materials. To work with it calls for technical precision of the highest order, especially where the architecture's character is determined by the material's special qualities. Architects such as Tadao Ando, Frank Gehry, Daniel Libeskind, Gigon-Guyer, and Diener & Diener have defined the highest standard for the use of exposed concrete with their buildings. In its first part, this book presents groundbreaking examples of exposed concrete architecture by ten international architects and analyzes their treatment of the material. In its second part, it describes the key aspects of exposed concrete (surface, color, sheeting, framework, seams, composition, etc.); discusses the concreting process in detail; and gives advice on avoiding defects and writing successful proposals.