CEMENTO
(2017- in progress)
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ECHO OF CONCRETE
Concrete is everywhere. In the skeletons of our cities, in the quiet facades of housing blocks, in the silence of vast urban voids. As modern architecture rises, shaped by minimalism and efficiency, it leaves behind not just a physical trace—but a psychological one.
The smooth, grey surfaces that define so many cityscapes are not neutral. They reflect a logic of control, of repetition, of simplicity stretched to its limits. Researchers suggest that these environments—stripped of variation and texture—can dull the senses. Some speak of cognitive boredom, a state where the mind, lacking stimuli, turns inward. Others describe a low hum of unease, barely perceived but physiologically real.
Cement doesn’t only affect the mind. Its production is one of the most polluting processes on the planet, accounting for around 8% of global CO₂ emissions. Each ton comes at a cost—of heat, of carbon, of air made difficult to breathe. In dense cities like Berlin, this cost is amplified. The concrete warms the streets, hardens the air. Urban heat islands emerge. Cooling becomes necessity. Energy demand spikes. Vulnerability increases.
Yet the construction continues. Berlin produces and consumes millions of tons of cement annually. The city grows upwards and outwards, often without pause. And with every new slab, the gap between design and human need widens.
Minimalist buildings, while functional, can feel indifferent. Their openness can become exposure. Their segmentation, confinement. Few places for retreat, few materials that soften. Warmth is traded for scale. Wood and stone give way to steel and concrete.
As Berlin moves toward its climate goals—seeking neutrality by 2045—questions surface: What kind of architecture sustains life, not just structurally but emotionally? What do we lose when we build only for efficiency?
This project follows those traces: in the light against a bare wall, in the heat rising from the pavement, in the quiet discomfort of space. It is not just about concrete. It is about how we live within it.