DESIGN PROFILE: CONCREATIVE A snowboarding trip to Canada introduced Matthew Touma to the magic of concrete
Matthew Touma was in Canada on a snowboarding trip when he started to look at concrete in an entirely new way
An unlikely series of events led chef Matthew Touma to explore concrete as a design medium – and career. On a break from a 15-year work stint, he was in Canada snowboarding when he discovered the creative possibilities of the building material. “I was staying with a friend who had recently made a concrete benchtop for his kitchen, and every day after snowboarding we would sit at his bench, having a meal and talking into the evening. I loved to sit there,” he says. “The look and feel of it made me feel so grounded.”
Back in Australia in 2009, Matt rented a small garage around the corner from his apartment and began researching concrete, teaching himself how to pour and polish it, and how to make formwork (the timber moulding frames). He then went on to become the founder of Concreative, an architectural concrete solutions firm that has gone from strength to strength since his first foray into design 12 years ago.
Being self-taught has worked to Matt’s advantage. He wasn’t influenced by people who may have argued the limitations of concrete, and instead just saw endless creative possibilities for it. “I love how concrete looks; the colour and texture are so beautiful,” he says. “But there are challenges of course, such as supply chains, the weather, finding the best staff for the job – there are so many variables. We can do the same thing, the same way, on two different days and produce two completely different outcomes. But hard work and experience has put us in a position to deal with these issues, and be able to move through them successfully. We always find a way, even on the most challenging projects.”
Indeed, Matt’s work is an ongoing labour of love. While timber and metal are base products that simply need to be constructed and refined, concrete requires the craftsman to create the base product first. Building the formwork, mixing the concrete, pouring, finishing and curing the material all present an opportunity for something to go wrong. “We take a lot of care to research each product we make, and to move with new technology as it becomes available,” he says. “We’re very lucky to have a number of interesting projects right now, both residential and commercial.” He’s talking about jobs the calibre of boutique gin distillery Four Pillars in Sydney’s Surry Hills, a luxe statement bar that proves just how versatile the medium is.
This year, Matt plans to expand his creative repertoire and strengthen Concreative’s commitment to sustainability. “We’ve been working with a sustainability consultant on how we can put more practices in place when we move to our new headquarters in the middle of 2021. Currently, some components of our concrete, such as recycled glass products and silica fume, come from by-products of other industries. We also reuse as much of our formwork material as many times as possible to minimise our footprint. Moving into our new HQ will also give us more space to develop some of the ideas we’ve been working on with a couple of partners in the design industry. This year is shaping up to be quite exciting!”
See more at concreative.com.au or @concreative
“We can do the same thing, the same way, on two different days and produce two completely different outcomes” MATTHEW TOUMA, CONCREATIVE