Concrete On Paper

Join us from 6:00 - 8:00 pm for an opening reception for Concrete on Paper, an exhibit presented by the Weitzman School of Design and Penn Libraries.

This exhibit is a complement to the conference Cement Age/Concrete Nation, hosted by the Department of Historic Preservation. The conference and accompanying exhibit examine the architectural, technological, and cultural development of concrete built heritage.

200 years have now passed since the introduction of artificial Portland cement in 1824. No other building material since the Industrial Revolution has so transformed the built environment, ushering in the modern age. Philadelphia, by virtue of its rich collection of concrete architecture by influential architects and engineers spanning the 20th century, provides a unique setting for the celebration of this milestone in building technology.

Curated by Frank Matero and Irene Matteini with graduate assistants Daniel Alonso Saldaña Ayala, Kate Gunn Whitney-Schubb, and Siqi Zhao. 

Special thanks to Tesselle for building the concrete blocks used in the exhibition space. 

If you require any accessibility accommodation, such as live captioning, audio description, or a sign language interpreter, please email news@design.upenn.edu. Please note, we require at least five (5) business days’ notice.