It's improved health, school attendance, agricultural productivity and farm worker wages, but concrete has a poor reputation. It takes a lot of energy to produce and releases a great deal of CO2 in the process. However, architects appreciate its versatility and there are few more important inventions. Tim Harford tells the remarkable hidden story of a ubiquitous, unloved material.
(Image: Masons hands spread concrete, Credit: APGuide/Shutterstock)
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Sources and related links
Nick Gromicko and Kenton Shepard “The History of Concrete”
Adam Davidson and Adam McKay “Surprisingly Awesome: Concrete” 17 November 2015
Amelia Sparavigna “Ancient Concrete Works” Working Paper, Department of Physics, Turin Polytechnic
James Mitchell Crow “The Concrete Conundrum” Chemistry World March 2008 p62
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Short listens, features and video from 2016