People have constructed buildings and structures since tens of thousands of years ago. From the beginning, humans have had to build shelter and campfires and many other things in order to develop technologically. Since the beginning, humans have been looking for newer and better materials in order to build structures that will last longer against the natural environment.
Until around 2,000 years ago, the development of building materials hasn’t been very sophisticated at all — all the materials used were just ones found occurring in nature as it is. They weren’t very long-lasting. Wood degrades too easily, mud dissolves in rain and straw can’t stand against the wind. The only long-lasting material easily accessible to early humans were stone. Stone is hard and heavy enough to stand against the trial of time, as we can see from Wikipedia’s list of the oldest standing buildings in the world. Almost every building / structure on the list is made of stone, with the exception of 1 in 60 being built out of other materials. (Wikipedia, 2015)
Roads are important. So are sidewalks. And bridges. Airports, too. The only thing that was limiting mankind was the materials they could choose to build with. Roads couldn't support much weight, bridges had to stay short, and meanwhile there had to be housing to accommodate the growing population. There was a huge need of an affordable, long-lasting material that will not break or degrade in order to build infrastructure that didn’t collapse after 10 or 20 years. Thus, concrete was invented. Everything around us is made of concrete nowadays - bridges, buildings, roads, pavements and dams. Concrete is strong and durable, able to last for centuries. The concrete we use today is made of Portland Cement, a type of cement that was invented in the 1800s. (James, C. 2008)
Until around 2,000 years ago, the development of building materials hasn’t been very sophisticated at all — all the materials used were just ones found occurring in nature as it is. They weren’t very long-lasting. Wood degrades too easily, mud dissolves in rain and straw can’t stand against the wind. The only long-lasting material easily accessible to early humans were stone. Stone is hard and heavy enough to stand against the trial of time, as we can see from Wikipedia’s list of the oldest standing buildings in the world. Almost every building / structure on the list is made of stone, with the exception of 1 in 60 being built out of other materials. (Wikipedia, 2015)
Roads are important. So are sidewalks. And bridges. Airports, too. The only thing that was limiting mankind was the materials they could choose to build with. Roads couldn't support much weight, bridges had to stay short, and meanwhile there had to be housing to accommodate the growing population. There was a huge need of an affordable, long-lasting material that will not break or degrade in order to build infrastructure that didn’t collapse after 10 or 20 years. Thus, concrete was invented. Everything around us is made of concrete nowadays - bridges, buildings, roads, pavements and dams. Concrete is strong and durable, able to last for centuries. The concrete we use today is made of Portland Cement, a type of cement that was invented in the 1800s. (James, C. 2008)