BusinessWeek Online Architectural Record Awards: A CONCRETE SOLUTION

One function of architecture can be to showcase what a client is all about--in this case, concrete. In this low-budget headquarters for K.J. McNitt Construction in Oklahoma City, the architect embraced precast concrete construction and turned a building into a demonstration of just what the material can do. By finishing floors and walls to a smooth veneer, shaping the reception desk out of the material, and sculpting a distinctive concrete wall in the parking lot, Elliot + Associates Architects took technology normally used for infrastructure to create an intriguing workspace. Exposed, used oil-pipe bracing for the concrete panels reinforces the idea that inexpensive industrial materials can be used creatively. For $400,000, the client received a 100-by-40-ft. headquarters that advertises the business within.