History of building materials

All the buildings erected nowadays are of two main types: they are intended either for housing or industrial purposes.

The main building materials are timber, stone (brick), concrete, steel, light metals, glass and plastics. Timber was one of the first materials to be used by man for constructional purposes. It is highly probable that it will be one of the last. Timber is unique among the materials of construction. It will be available when the earth's capital deposits of iron, coal, clay and the rest have been consumed.

The buildings made of stone or brick are durable and fire-proof, they have a poor heat conductivity.

Concrete made with natural hydraulic binders was used in antiquity, particularly by the Romans. After the decline of the Roman Empire the art of making concrete has been forgotten, and the revival came much later.

Portland cement was produced more than a century ago. From the time of its first production there was a steady and gradual improvement in its compressive strength.

Reinforced concrete is hardly 100 years old, but its practical application in building began only 90 years ago. Today reinforced concrete is used in all civilized countries as one of the most important building materials. One of the essential properties of concrete is its compressive strength.