Ancient cyclopean walls were built by overlapping raw stones, supported one on the other, without the use of mortar. The name derives from the Cyclops, the giants of Greek mythology, as their construction required seemingly superhuman effort due to the weight and difficulty of lifting and fitting each wall piece. Cyclopic concrete, in turn, mixes this ancient constructive technique with contemporary materials and techniques. What sets it apart from traditional concrete is essentially the size of the coarse aggregate, which is traditionally composed of stones but can also include brick or concrete remains. Our Projects section includes examples of this constructive technique, which, unlike the cyclopes, clearly carries traces of the workers who built it. We talked to Rafic Jorge Farah, from São Paulo Criação Office, about his experience with this technique in recent works.
In the case of House in Pombal Street, the rubble from the previous demolition became the primary raw material for the new walls. Constructively, the technique also resembles traditional reinforced concrete: a wood mould is used to receive liquid concrete with voluminous aggregates, maintaining the appearance of the different materials used in the previous composition. According to the project's description, “Each wall ended up with a different texture as we devised ways to build them. Some were painted, others were not - all contain memories of what existed previously."
These are living walls, full of information. This surprises passersby and perhaps makes them think about the evident sustainability present in these rubble-made walls, which are reminiscent of the old house.
