Who, when and where he invented concrete (invented) is the history of the invention (origin)

Although concrete is one of the most widely used building materials today, its history is just as intriguing as its application. The development of concrete, which dates back to antiquity, was a significant turning point in the history of architecture. It made it possible for civilizations to construct long-lasting and ambitious architectural structures.

Approximately 6500 BC is when concrete was first used, in what are now modern-day Syria and Jordan. The Nabataea traders were expert engineers who built structures, floors, and even subterranean cisterns out of concrete. Their methods prepared the way for further advancements in concrete technology.

But the true masters of the art of concrete construction were the Romans. The discovery that volcanic ash could be added to lime mortar to create a material that could set underwater by Roman builders around 300 BC transformed their capacity for construction. Roman concrete, also called opus caementicium, was created using this novel type of concrete and was used to build famous buildings like the Pantheon and the Colosseum, many of which still stand today.

The application of concrete has grown and changed over time. The Industrial Revolution led to new developments in concrete technology in the 18th and 19th centuries. Portland cement, a vital component of contemporary concrete that has been essential to innumerable construction projects worldwide, was developed by innovators like Joseph Aspdin and his son William.

Even now, concrete is still a basic building material that is constantly being modified and enhanced. Concrete’s history, from prehistoric Nabataean traders to contemporary engineers, is a monument to human inventiveness and the drive to build enduring structures that influence our world.

Who	When and Where
Ancient Egyptians	Around 2500 BC, Egypt
Romans	300 BC – 476 AD, Roman Empire
Joseph Aspdin	1824, England

The origin of concrete

It’s challenging to provide a clear response to the question of when concrete first appeared. The concrete mixture’s development path has been rather lengthy, similar to that of other building materials. Thus, during Danube shore excavations, the archaeological team discovered the remnants of a 5,000-year-old dwelling with a 25-centimeter-thick prehistoric concrete floor: red clay was used as the knitting material, but the structure was reinforced by tiny river sand particles.

Since the time of the Egyptians, Phoenicians, Babylonians, and Carthaginians, distinct instances of the efficient binding of small and large stones with different solutions have been known. Concrete was first used around 1950 BC.e. – By now, the artifacts discovered in the Egyptian tomb of Tebes (Teve) date from this era. Concrete was employed long before our time to build the Egyptian labyrinth’s galleries and the monolithic vault of the Nima pyramid (3600 BC).

The Egyptians employed gypsum and lime as a binder. And 25 years ago, the world was taken aback by the revelation made by Swiss chemist professor Joseph Davidovitz that the Cheops pyramid was constructed out of geopolymer concrete blocks. A human hair that could only have been discovered by combining the solution was discovered by the professor inside the mass of one of the limestone blocks.

After conducting additional research, the scientist discovered an inscription from the III dynasty written on the wall. The discovery of a recipe for making an antiquated form of concrete during the deciphering of the hieroglyphs is what gave rise to the material itself. Independent investigation revealed that while the top rows of the Great Pyramids are constructed of concrete based on sandstone chips, palm ash, and soda from Nile water, the base of the pyramids is naturally formed of limestone.

A great deal has been written about the Roman Empire buildings, which were primarily constructed of "concrete." According to research, real cement binders—as opposed to lime, which is used in ancient structures—were initially used in southern Italy circa II BC.e.

Many people believe that the Romans invented cement because they even borrowed some names from them. As a result, "pozzolana," a unique variety of volcanic ash, was first employed in the vicinity of Pozzuoli in the Gulf of Naples. It was also extensively utilized in cement. The name of the particular kind of astringent that is now known as Putzzolan cement left the city.

The port of Aemelia, a massive building that dates to 193 BC, was built using pozzolan, which was used to bind the stones together to create concrete. This is an unusual kind of ash that, when combined with lime and water, produces a chemical reaction that strengthens the ash into a solid mass that resembles rock and isn’t even afraid to submerge in water. This cement was used by the Romans to construct buildings, storm drains, water pipes, docks, and bridges.

Roman concrete

Layers of Roman concrete were applied in a manually mixed mixture format. Usually, concrete was poured with various-sized stones, and if the concrete was applied to the lower portion of the building, it was covered with clay stones on both sides. Concrete and stones were used to build the walls, which served as a form for the solution. These bricks were employed as decorative pieces and to speed up the building process, but they were not very important structurally.

The same material, "pozzolana," which was never used in the country’s north or in other Roman Empire regions, but was frequently used in Rome and the surrounding area, made this kind of construction possible.

Concrete bricks were used to build walls and vaults in a multitude of public buildings, such as the renowned Pantheon and upscale apartments in Rome. One of the most remarkable architectural works of art ever created is the Pantheon’s dome, which was built in the second century, n.uh.

A highly intricate construction featuring numerous niches and voids that reduce mass in addition to tiny vaulted ceilings. With sufficient knowledge, the Pantheon’s builders were able to use heavy elements at ground level, lower the structure’s density in the walls above, and lower the load inside the dome itself to a level that spares the monument from destruction.

The 142-foot-tall Pantheon’s magnificence overshadowed the smaller earlier spans, producing a unique and bright effect that can be regarded as a true architectural revolution at the time, particularly when it came to how the entire interior space was perceived.

The main building material was probably stone and brick masonry and this type of concrete was not used elsewhere because pozzolan was unavailable and nonexistent worldwide. This technique has been used for many centuries to construct the majority of important structures in the world.

In the 18th century, a different kind of concrete was utilized in France; the walls there were composed of crushed stone that had been plastered over, creating the look of masonry, which was popular at the time. As a result, François Cointero, a mason from Lyon, was looking for a cheap way to build fireproof walls out of cement mortar and the antiquated "compressed earth" method of adobe construction.

Using a wooden formwork filled with a mixture of clay and earth or straw and ramming is the process of the adobe technique. However, the use of powerful and modern cements rendered the ramming procedure obsolete. A better cement was patented in 1824 by the British mason Joseph Aspdin, who called it Portland because it resembled natural stone that was mined on the nearby island of Portland.

Aspdin is credited with being the first to employ high temperatures to heat quartz and clay to the glass point, which allowed the materials to be rafted. Even now, cement is made in the same manner. Because concrete was affordable, long-lasting, and expedited the building process, it was widely used in Europe during the 1800s to build buildings, most of which were industrial.

The Romans created concrete, a ground-breaking building material, circa 200 BC. Their remarkable structures, such as the Pantheon and aqueducts, were made possible by this robust and adaptable material, which came about as a result of the need for stronger, more resilient building materials. The Romans created the first concrete by mixing lime, water, and volcanic ash; this created the foundation for modern building methods. Since then, their ground-breaking discovery has grown and spread throughout the world, becoming a pillar of the modern building sector.

Use of reinforcement

The identity of the person who invented concrete as well as the principle of reinforcement are hotly contested. The majority of experts concur that the efforts of Mr. Lambo, a sizable landowner from the south of France, were the first to successfully reinforce a concrete monolith.

Jean-Louis Lambo strengthened several rowboats he was building in the early 1850s by using iron rods and wire mesh. He desired to employ the material in a variety of construction applications after realizing the invention had yielded results. In order to achieve this, Jean-Louis submitted a concrete patent application to Belgium and France in 1856.

According to the description, this is an enhanced building material that can be used in place of wood in architectural and naval structures as well as for a variety of household applications where it’s critical to prevent moisture.

Plasterer William B. Williamson constructed a modest two-story cottage as early as 1856, using wire rope and iron rods to reinforce the concrete roof and floor. As the ancestor of the first reinforced concrete buildings, he was granted a British patent for reinforced concrete and went on to create and construct a number of comparable structures.

The French gardener Joseph Monier was granted a patent in 1867 for fortifying garden baths. Subsequently, he managed to secure a patent for reinforced beams and piles, which are employed in railroad and highway fence construction.

Subsequently, it was demonstrated that Monier, who was unaware of Wilkinson’s technique for reinforcing concrete, had created a method on his own.

Floor reinforcement

Under the direction of a French builder by the name of Francois Coignet, Portland cement was used extensively in building construction for the first time. Between 1850 and 1880, he started building a number of sizable concrete homes in France and Great Britain. In order to reduce the possibility of the walls separating during floor pouring, these homes were the first to use iron rods. Later, Francois employed reinforcement to bend different structural components.

American mechanical engineer William E. Ward was the first to use reinforced concrete in construction when he built a structure. It was between 1871 and 1875. The house that was constructed at that time is still standing and is located in Port Chester, New York. The meticulousness and care with which Mr. Ward handled all of his business, thoroughly investigating and meticulously recording each step, is what made the building famous.

William’s wife was terribly afraid of fire, so he wanted to construct a sturdy and secure home. Robert Muck, an architect, was given the task of designing and planning when he started working on it in 1870. This structure was intended to have a masonry-like appearance and serve as a widely accepted social remedy for various issues.

Ward spent a great deal of time performing load tests and other experiments in order to resolve all technical and construction-related problems on his own. The construction mixture was referred to by the French word "beton." Ward addressed the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1883 on the topic of mixing concrete with iron rods.

The audience, however, did not pay much attention because they did not fully comprehend the significance of the discovery and development and were more interested in novel water supply and heating systems than in reinforced concrete.

After acquiring the Monier system patent rights in 1879, German builder G.A. Weiss began constructing reinforced concrete buildings in Austria and Germany, promoting them as the "Weiss-Monier system." Later, France saw the construction of numerous structures as well.

Monolithic frame structure

The technology for building frame reinforced concrete structures advanced concurrently at the end of the 1800s. G.A. Weiss worked in Germany and Austria, Ernest L. Ransom in the USA, and Francois Ennibec in France. L. Ransom rose to the position of manager of a prosperous San Francisco-based business that produced concrete blocks from artificial stone in the late 1870s.

Here, in 1877, reinforcement was applied for the first time, and the system was patented in 1884. This system was predicated on the supposition that the structure contained twisted square rods, which were intended to strengthen the bond between the concrete and reinforcement. The largest piece created during that era is Leland Stanford, which is housed in the Stanford University Museum. It was the first structure to use uncoated concrete filler technology.

Additionally, Ransom was in charge of constructing a number of industrial structures in New Jersey (Pennsylvania). For instance, the Kelly and Jones mechanical shop was constructed in Greensburg, USA, between 1903 and 1904. Cincinnati’s Inggans building was constructed in 1904 using the Ransom system. Designed by Elsner & Henderson, the building stood 16 stories (210 feet) tall and was the first concrete skyscraper.

On the other side of the Atlantic, mason François Hennybecq made a name for himself as a prosperous contractor in Paris. He started opening offices in most major cities there and was granted patents for the Hennybec construction system in Belgium and France. Through conferences, François developed the new approach and established standards among his network of businesses. His structures were primarily industrial.

Hennybecq was generating roughly fifteen hundred contracts a year during the height of his company’s success, which helped fuel the explosive expansion of reinforced concrete construction across Europe.

Concrete domes and vaults

A new kind of building with thin walls was made possible by the invention of reinforced concrete. And for the Algeciras market in 1930, the talented Spanish engineer Eduardo Torroja built a low dome that was 150 feet wide and 3.5 feet deep. He applied tension using steel cables. Furthermore, the magnificent cantilever roof of the 1935-built stadium in the Madrid Hippodrome is credited to Torroja.

Felix Candela was an engineer, architect, and mathematician who was a true master of panel structures. He worked primarily in Mexico City, where he designed a 5/8-inch thick roof for the University of Mexico’s cosmic radiation laboratory. Because he was able to take advantage of cheap labor at one point, the architect used the paraboloid shape of the vault to create many churches and factories around Mexico City. This type of construction has since become recognized as his trademark.

Constructed in 1958 and featuring six identically designed paraboloid vaults, the restaurant building in Xochimilco is perhaps the most striking and well-known structure designed by Candela.

Further use of concrete in modern architecture

Le Corbusier was one of the most well-known architects to use concrete. He refused to use the traditional design foundation in design because he vehemently disagreed with his employers. Le Corbusier eventually made the complete transition to reinforced concrete after rising to prominence as an architect.

The architect’s most well-known creations include the flat-paneled Villa Savoye (1931), the apartment complexes on Pilotes in Marseille and Nantes (built in the late 1940s), the chapel of Ronchamp (1957), the La Tourette monastery (1959), and the government complex in Chandigarh, India (1961).

Concrete’s wide range of textures and hues aided Le Corbusier, who was keenly interested in the play of natural light and used it as a design element.

Mies van der Rohe proposed the use of a cantilevered floor slab as a structural base for tall buildings in 1919. Wright realized the concept in Wisconsin’s Johnson Towers. The complex, which embodied all of Wright’s ideas, was acknowledged as his best creation.

The history of concrete is an intriguing one, full of inventiveness and human ingenuity. Concrete has been essential to the construction of entire civilizations, from its early origins in ancient Mesopotamia to its refinement by the Romans. Concrete was particularly well-utilized by the Romans, who built the Pantheon and aqueducts, which are still standing examples of the material’s strength and adaptability.

The use of concrete decreased in the ensuing centuries until the development of modern concrete in the 18th and 19th centuries. Joseph Aspdin’s 1824 invention of Portland cement transformed the substance and paved the way for its widespread application in the contemporary world. This cement, along with some water and aggregates, produced the durable and versatile concrete that we use every day.

The evolution and adaptation of concrete from ancient innovation to modern marvel is a story. It emphasizes how crucial materials are in forming our built environment. Concrete is still a fundamental component of construction, whether it be in the imposing skyscrapers of today or the grand ancient monuments, representing our never-ending desire to create and build.

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