Architectural Concrete

Course Outline

Architectural concrete comes in many shapes and sizes, and is used for finishing or decoration on a building surface, as opposed to a structural use. This online course provides guidance for the design and construction of architectural concrete, including planning and design, forms, materials and proportions, batching and transporting, placement, curing and form removal, exposed aggregate surfaces, finishing, and quality assurance. The course materials are based entirely on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Engineering Manual EM 1110-1-2009: Architectural Concrete. This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will have a better understanding of the construction aspects of the good quality architectural concrete, and will be familiar with:

• Structural guidelines;
• Architectural guidelines;
• Precast options;
• Form construction and reuse;
• Material proportioning;
• Concrete mixing and transportation;
• Types of concrete curing;
• Form removal and storage;
• Aggregate distribution methods;
• Aggregate exposure methods; and
• Finishing methods.

In addition, the student will learn about

• Concrete placement;
• Concrete consolidation;
• Defect repair;
• Stain removal; and
• Protective coatings.

Course Content

The purpose of this course is to provide information related to the design and construction of architectural concrete. You will be directed to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' website to study

Engineering Manual EM 1110-1-2009: Architectural Concrete (1997 edition, 43 pages, PDF file format).

The following contains the outline of the Engineering Manual EM 1110-1-2009:

Engineering and Design - Architectural Concrete

Table of Contents
Chapter 1 - General
Chapter 2 - Planning and Design Criteria
Chapter 3 - Forms
Chapter 4 - Concrete Materials and Proportions
Chapter 5 - Batching and Transporting
Chapter 6 - Concrete Placement
Chapter 7 - Curing and Form Removal
Chapter 8 - Exposed Aggregate Architectural Surfaces
Chapter 9 - Repairs and Final Finishing
Chapter 10 - Quality Assurance
Chapter 11 - Mass Concrete and Roller Compacted Concrete
Appendix A - References

Related Links

For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following websites or web pages:

Bomanite - Stamped and Colored Architectural Concrete
Architectural Concrete - Grace Construction Products
ARCAT: Plant-Precast Architectural Concrete (03450) manufacturers
Decorative Concrete Info

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

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DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDHonline.org or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered professional engineer. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.

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