ABSTRACT
Concrete could be found in concrete-framed buildings in the basements and attics where the roof and structure were exposed but not for public view. Concrete was the utilitarian material for the bones of a building and the finish of concrete was never an issue in construction because it rarely saw the light of day in a building. Lou Kahn, however, relished making the concrete out of a smooth formwork of plywood, trying to emulate the controlled surface that precast concrete allowed in the factory setting. The making of concrete that way posed a number of challenges the least of which was called honeycombing. Concrete walls are formed by plywood forms that are arranged to create the thickness of the walls. The general contractor and the concrete contractor had a great deal of misgivings about this particular application of concrete construction but, never the less, construction proceeded despite the reticence of the contractors.
