An increasing number of projects require concrete to blend visually with its surroundings. Retaining walls, infrastructure, precast elements and street furniture require specific shades that help minimise the visual impact of the construction work.
At Serra Ciments, we develop bespoke colour studies to reproduce the tones of stone, rock and other natural materials in concrete, adapting the formulation to the specific characteristics of each project.
Each environment has a different colour tone
The geological characteristics of each area result in very different tones from one region to another. Limestone, sandstone, granite and clay-based materials present specific colour ranges that must be analysed beforehand to achieve a natural visual integration.
Based on the colour analysis of the surrounding environment, different formulations are developed until the target tone is accurately reproduced. During this process, factors such as the type of cement, aggregates, pigment dosage and surface finish are taken into consideration, as they all influence the final result.
Case Study: Landscape Integration in Cardona (Barcelona)
The images show a landscape integration project carried out in Cardona (Barcelona), where the objective was to minimise the visual impact of a retaining wall by reproducing the predominant tones of the existing rock.
As a starting point, a colour study of the natural stone in the area was carried out to identify the predominant nuances and develop a specific colour formulation. Following sample validation, the wall was constructed using pigmented concrete with pigments from the SC Pigments® range, achieving colour integration with the existing rock.