CONCRETE VALENTINE'S SPECIAL
Being concrete fundis we loved PPC Imaginarium article on 10 interesting facts about concrete. For Valentine's Day, The Cobute team chose their Top 5.
1. Where it all begins. At the origin of concrete lie our forefathers, the ancient Romans, who were the first to develop concrete as a building material. Roman builders mixed lime, water and volcanic ash from Mount Vesuvius and called the concrete “pozzolana”. As reported on CityMetric, Ancient Romans also used to readapt buildings to different functions. In fact the Pantheon used to be a Roman temple until 609CE, when it became a consecrated church. Fun Fact about The Pantheon, it was built entirely in concrete and Its dome is still the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome.
Pantheon, Rome. Credit: Wikipedia.
2. The popularity of concrete is given not only by its versatility but also by the wide availability of water (if we keep on saving it) and aggregate.
3. Concrete is creative. Most people associate concrete to rigid shapes, but on the contrary, concrete can be easily shaped into ornamental pieces, because concrete can be poured and cast. Check here for PPC Imaginarium finalists and category winners from 2016.
Bentu Design creates concrete beauties of all shapes and functions.
4.Reinforced concrete has high resistance to fire and water, and is the only material used for underwater structures such as dams and submerged bridge piers.
5. Concrete is also used for high-rise buildings. The 98-storey building also known as Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago is the largest concrete structure in the world, being over 423 m tall.
Trump Tower Chicago surrounded by protesters in November 2016. Credit: Wikipedia
What fascinates us about concrete is that it keeps evolving and mixing with other, more sustainable materials like hemp and bamboo fibers. We cannot wait for all the concrete innovations that will be pouring in over the course of the next few years.
