Concrete Planet: The Strange and Fascinating Story of the World's Most Common Man-Made Material

Concrete:Weuseitforourbuildings,bridges,dams,androads.Wewalkonit,driveonit,andmanyofusliveandworkwithinitswalls.Butveryfewofusknowwhatitis.Wetakeforgrantedthisubiquitoussubstance,whichbothliterallyandfigurativelycomprisesmuchofmoderncivilization’sconstructedenvironment;yetthestoryofitscreationanddevelopmentfeaturesacastoffascinatingcharactersandremarkablehistoricalepisodes.Thisbookdelvesintothishistory,openingreaders’eyesateveryturn.Inalivelynarrativepepperedwithintriguingdetails,authorRobertCorlanddescribeshowsomeofthemostfamouspersonalitiesofhistorybecameinvolvedinthedevelopmentanduseofconcrete—includingKingHerodtheGreatofJudea,theRomanemperorHadrian,ThomasEdison(whoonceownedthelargestconcretecementplantintheworld),andarchitectFrankLloydWright.CourlandpointstorecentarchaeologicalevidencesuggestingthatthediscoveryofconcretedirectlyledtotheNeolithicRevolutionandtheriseoftheearliestcivilizations.Muchlater,theRomansreachedextraordinarilyhighstandardsforconcreteproduction,showcasingtheirachievementiniconicbuildingsliketheColiseumandthePantheon.Amazingly,withthefalloftheRomanEmpire,thesecretsofconcretemanufacturingwerelostforoveramillennium.Theauthorexplainsthatwhenconcretewasrediscoveredinthelateeighteenthcenturyitwasinitiallyviewedasaninterestingnoveltyor,atbest,aspecializedbuildingmaterialsuitableonlyforanarrowrangeofapplications.Itwasonlytowardtheendofthenineteenthcenturythattheuseofconcreteexploded.Duringthisrapidexpansion,industrylobbyiststriedtodisguisethefactthatmodernconcretehadcertaindefectsandcriticalshortcomings.Itisnowrecognizedthatmodernconcrete,unlikeitsRomanpredecessor,graduallydisintegrateswithage.Compoundingthisproblemisanotherdistressingfact:themanufactureofconcretecementisamajorcontributortoglobalwarming.ConcretePlanetisfilledwithincrediblestories,fascinatingcharacters,surprisingfacts,andanarrayofintriguinginsightsintothebuildingmaterialthatformsthebasisoftheinfrastructureonwhichwedepend.