Graphic Concrete Ltd, an innovative Finnish company manufacturing and marketing graphic concrete enters the Middle Eastern market
Together with the Dubai based partner Versatile, a business development company, Graphic Concrete brings a new approach to designing prefabricated concrete surfaces in the Middle East. The patented technology invented by interior architect Samuli Naamanka is an industrial product for large scale surfaces and a tool with that allows architects to be more visually creative.
“Graphic concrete allows designers and architects to design attractive and durable patterns and images to prefabricated concrete surfaces such as facades, walls and pavement slabs,” said Harri Lanning, CEO of Graphic Concrete Ltd. “Our end product is a membrane used in the prefabrication process of concrete.”
The desired image is printed on the membrane with a surface retarder, after which the membrane is sent to the local concrete prefabrication company. Concrete is cast on the membrane and when the retarder is washed away the image is revealed. The image results from the contrast between the fair face and the exposed aggregate surface. “Being a standardised part of the prefabrication industry, graphic concrete is easy to use. The solution is also cost effective, as the surface is ready as such and requires no more cladding,” Lanning said.
Since the foundation of Graphic Concrete Ltd in 2002, the graphic concrete solution has been used in over 600 projects in 25 countries around the world. The extensive list of references demonstrates the vast range of designs in which architects can use graphic concrete: public, residential, industrial and infra. “We are pleased to enter the Middle Eastern market and to announce our collaboration with Versatile a business development company that will be representing our products in the GCC countries, Jordan and Lebanon. As designers and architects are constantly looking for new creative solutions to create wow effects, we believe that we have a lot to offer to this market,” Harri Lanning concluded.