Roman
Opus caementicium
Lime-pozzolana harbour concrete still studied at Caesarea and Rome.
Concrete did not arrive as a finished commodity. Roman pozzolana; Aspdin 1824; Hennebique RC around Rome → Leeds → Paris still explains who makes it and which tests it sits in.
Ten dated points, five eras and three milestones below are the spine — not a complete industrial history.
Where it began
Roman pozzolana; Aspdin 1824; Hennebique RCRome → Leeds → Paris
Timeline
RomanOpus caementicium
Lime-pozzolana harbour concrete still studied at Caesarea and Rome.
1756Smeaton Eddystone
Hydraulic lime mix for a lighthouse.
1824Aspdin Portland
Patent for “Portland” cement in Leeds.
1867Monier flowerpots
Iron-reinforced cement — RC’s folk origin.
1890sHennebique system
Patented RC frames spread in Europe.
1903Ingalls Building
Early US RC skyscraper, Cincinnati.
1930sBéton brut / dams
Mass concrete geopolitics.
1970sSuperplasticisers
High-range water reducers enabled HPC.
1990sUHPC / Ductal
Reactive powder concretes.
2020sLC3 / calcined clay
Clinker substitution as climate policy.
The eras
1824
Aspdin Portland
Patent for “Portland” cement in Leeds.
1890s
Hennebique system
Patented RC frames spread in Europe.
1930s
Béton brut / dams
Mass concrete geopolitics.
1990s
UHPC / Ductal
Reactive powder concretes.
Milestones
Monier flowerpots
1867Iron-reinforced cement — RC’s folk origin.
Béton brut / dams
1930sMass concrete geopolitics.
LC3 / calcined clay
2020sClinker substitution as climate policy.
Knowing this timeline is how to read a mill certificate without treating Concrete as timeless.
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