| Summary: | This essay explores Auguste Perret's justification for his technique in shaping an aesthetic for the material of reinforced concrete. Beginning with an archival document recording a conversation between Perret and the poet Paul Valéry, the argument first explores critiques of Perret's handling of concrete, using Reyner Banham as a point of reference. It then considers the contrasting themes of his working method: the priority of technique over material, the imperative of a modern structural frame being rooted in a classicist lineage, and the disciplined method of an elaborative practice that constantly seeks to define the relationship between economy and style.
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