Seminar ‘Maintaining. Architecture and maintenance, what we care about’

Seminar ‘Maintaining. Architecture and maintenance, what we care about’
session #10

Inert but under surveillance – Fragile concrete 

Christophe Batard, Heritage Architect (2BDM Agency)
and Raphaël Royer-de-Vericourt, Architect-Engineer (T/E/S/S)
Discussant: Martin Denoun (SPIRAL, Liège)

Long presented as an inert, solid, and durable material, concrete conveyed a promise of stability that contributed to its widespread use throughout the 20th century, but also to the decline of a culture of maintenance that was negatively associated with “traditional” materials. Paradoxically, this ubiquitous material still provides limited insight into building life cycles. As buildings age, the diversity and complexity of deterioration — carbonation, cracking, and corrosion of reinforcements — becomes apparent. These processes intertwine a multitude of parameters, including construction periods and methods, initial imperfections, maintenance defects, and exposure environment.

From proclaimed inertia to material “under surveillance,” the trajectories of aging and emerging forms of intervention to repair, restore, and extend the life of buildings are shaping a new field of reflection and knowledge production at the intersection of architecture and maintenance.

Date: Friday March 20, 2026, 10 am –1 pm

Venue: Mines-Paris PSL, 60 bd Saint-Michel, 75006 Paris, room L117

Participation is free but registration is required. Please register here.

Attendance is limited. Kindly let us know if you are unable to attend.

The seminar will be held in French.

Organized by architectural agency SCAU and Jérôme Denis.
Find out more about the seminar program and objectives