Do you know that the first concrete building was a pyramid?
Concrete is something that we see every day, everywhere. You can't escape concrete at home, at work, at school or anywhere, how much ever we try to escape it!
Concrete is one of the most commonly used building materials across the globe. A composite material that can be poured as a liquid but, over time, hardens like a rock, concrete is the perfect material for building homes, commercial buildings, roads, bridges and other architectural marvels. An invention that truly changed the history of construction! But what is concrete made of?
Did you know that concrete is a binder made of Portland Cement (10-15%) bound with a mixture of crushed rock, natural sand and gravel, together with water (15-20%) to activate the binding to create a dense, semi-homogeneous mass. The tricalcium silicate molecule that releases calcium ions, hydroxide ions, and heat to speed up the reaction process are the secret ingredients that give concrete its incredible strength! Here are the three most significant firsts in the history of concrete.
The first concrete bridge was made in the US
While debate continues as to when the first use of concrete began, there is no dispute that Romans were the ones who used it in just about all their constructions between the third century BC till they fell, in fifth century AD. For nearly 1400 years after the fall of the Roman empire, concrete wasn’t used much. Around the mid-19th century, California-based engineer and pioneer of reinforced concrete Ernest Ransome gave it a new lease of life. In France, he poured concrete over iron bars to improve its strength and created the Arctic Oil Company Works warehouse in 1884 in San Francisco. He went to build the world’s first concrete bridge called the Alvord Lake Bridge in Golden Gate Park, US, just five years later.
The first concrete street was built in 1865
Inverness in Scotland witnessed the construction of the first concrete pavement in the world in 1865. In Edinburgh, Scotland, where it was installed in 1872, some of this concrete pavement is still in use today.
However, Bellefontaine, Ohio grabs all the attention for being the first concrete street ever laid. Located in the Logan County Courthouse on Court Avenue, it's a modest street in the heart of Bellefontaine, Ohio. Developed by American inventor George Bartholomew, this first American street of concrete pavement was constructed in 1893.
The first concrete building was a pyramid
The Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, constructed circa 3,000 BC, contain one of the earliest types of concrete still in use. However, author, professor, and architect from the United States, Frank Wright designed more than 1,000 structures in 70-years of his creative career. Being an architect, Frank Lloyd Wright understood the significance of reinforced concrete's capacity to produce whole new forms. He designed the Unity Temple of Oak Park, based in Illinois (completed in 1908), which is considered the first modern concrete structure ever constructed.