Reinforced concrete, also called ferroconcrete, is a composite material that compensates for plain concrete's low tensile strength and limited ductility by embedding reinforcement, almost always steel reinforcing bars known as rebar, into the concrete before it sets. Because the reinforcement is usually placed passively, meaning it carries no load of its own until the concrete around it is stressed, some reinforced concrete is instead pre stressed or post tensioned, putting the concrete permanently into compression and the reinforcement into tension so the finished structure behaves better under working loads; in the United States these two techniques are called pre-tensioning and post-tensioning. Reinforcement steel bonds well to concrete regardless of the surrounding pH or moisture, and the concrete's own alkalinity protects embedded steel from corrosion when the work is designed correctly. By volume, reinforced concrete is one of the most widely used engineering materials in the world, forming the structural frame of most modern buildings taller than a few stories, most bridge decks, and much of the large scale civil infrastructure built since the twentieth century. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Element Kind First Used EraLate nineteenth century; Joseph Monier patented a wire-mesh reinforced concrete flowerpot in 1867 and a system of reinforced concrete columns and girders in 1877, though the earlier Francois Coignet house in Paris (1853 to 1855) is sometimes credited as the first iron-reinforced concrete structure, built before any patent on the technique. 1 Era
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Source Encyclopedia Britannica
Prestressed concrete is a further refinement of reinforced concrete, using deliberately induced compression rather than passive steel reinforcement alone to resist tension.
Ando's architecture is defined by finely finished exposed reinforced concrete used as both structure and surface finish at once.
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Additional Source Tadao Ando (Wikipedia)Tadao Ando, style section
The five points depend on reinforced concrete framing, which removes the load-bearing role from walls and facade alike.
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A reinforced concrete buttressed core to level 156, steel-framed above.
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1. Reinforced Concrete (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationEarly Reinforced Concrete Patents and Structures
Joseph Monier, a 19th-century French gardener, was a pioneer in the development of structural, prefabricated and reinforced concrete, having been dissatisfied with the existing materials available for making durable flowerpots.
Description section, pre-tensioning and post-tensioning
Reinforced concrete, also called ferroconcrete or ferro-concrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having higher tensile strength or ductility.
View the Source 2. Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.Britannica: Reinforced concrete, lead paragraph
reinforced concrete, concrete in which steel is embedded in such a manner that the two materials act together in resisting forces.
- Seen In: Villa Savoye
- Associated With: The Five Points of Architecture
- Associated With: Concrete
View the Source Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Official Site
Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat Official Site
Council on Tall Buildings and Urban HabitatSeen In: Burj KhalifaView the Source Sagrada Familia (Wikidata)
Wikimedia FoundationSeen In: Sagrada Familia, Infobox material field: Stone, reinforced concreteView the Source Jeddah Tower (Wikidata)
Wikimedia FoundationSeen In: Jeddah Tower, Infobox material field: Reinforced concrete and steel, all-glass facadeView the Source Wikidata: Toronto City Hall
Seen In: Toronto City Hall, Infobox material field: reinforced concreteView the Source World One, Wikipedia
Seen In: World One, Infobox material field: Steel / Reinforced ConcreteView the Source Church of the Light (Wikidata)
Wikimedia FoundationSeen In: Church of the Light, Infobox material field: reinforced concreteView the Source The Dorchester, Wikipedia
Seen In: The Dorchester, Article bodyQuote, Seen In: The Dorchester, Article body
supported on a massive 3 feet (0.91 m) thick reinforced concrete deck
View the Source Kyiv Television Center (Wikipedia)
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Initially, six reinforced concrete towers were built
View the Source Ho Tung Gardens (Wikipedia)
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built with reinforced concrete and Chinese roof-tiles
View the Source Home Insurance Building (Wikipedia)
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It was the first tall building to be supported both inside and outside by a fireproof structural steel frame, though it also included reinforced concrete.
View the Source Price Tower (Wikipedia)
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The facade includes embossed copper spandrels and louvers, tinted glass windows, and poured stucco surfaces.
View the Source Edificio Copan - Wikipedia
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The building has the largest reinforced concrete structure in the country, 115 meters high (377 ft.), 32 floors and 120 thousand square meters of built area, divided into six blocks, with a total of 1,160 apartments of varying sizes, according to an estimate of five thousand residents from different social classes and more than seventy commercial establishments.
View the Source Villa Tugendhat - Wikipedia
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Of reinforced concrete, the villa soon became an icon of modernism.
View the Source CBS Building, Wikipedia
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The "Black Rock" nickname is derived from the design of its facade, which consists of angled dark-gray granite piers alternating with dark-tinted glass.
View the Source Phillips Exeter Academy Library, Wikipedia
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The outer ring, which is built of load-bearing brick, includes all four exterior walls and the library carrel desks immediately inside them.
View the Source Tallinn TV Tower - Wikipedia
Seen In: Tallinn TV Tower, Wikipedia leadQuote, Seen In: Tallinn TV Tower, Wikipedia lead
The tower body was constructed of reinforced concrete rings 50 cm thick that weigh a total of 17,000 tonnes, and the total tower weight is approximately 20,000 tonnes.
View the Source Central Plaza, Hong Kong, Wikipedia
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Central Plaza was also the tallest reinforced concrete building in the world, until it was surpassed by CITIC Plaza, Guangzhou in 1996.
View the Source Shum Yip Upperhills Tower 1 (Wikipedia)
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The tower has a novel structural system called a "Ladder Core System" where the perimeter mega columns are connected to the central reinforced concrete core at every story as opposed to the typical configuration where they are only connected via outriggers at mechanical floors.
View the Source Unity Temple (Wikipedia)
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The two sections, and an entrance pavilion between them, are made of reinforced concrete.
View the Source Villa Tugendhat (Wikipedia)
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Of reinforced concrete, the villa soon became an icon of modernism.
View the Source Villa Paul Poiret (Wikipedia)
Seen In: Villa Paul Poiret, Wikipedia leadQuote, Seen In: Villa Paul Poiret, Wikipedia lead
It is constructed in reinforced concrete in a geometric style, has 25 rooms on three levels, 800 square metres (8,600 sq ft) of internal space, an upper terrace with panoramic views, and a 7-metre-tall (23 ft) corner salon with floor-to-ceiling windows.
View the Source Charles Macdonald Concrete House Museum (Wikipedia)
Seen In: Charles Macdonald Concrete House Museum, Wikipedia leadQuote, Seen In: Charles Macdonald Concrete House Museum, Wikipedia lead
It was built entirely out of reinforced concrete in 1910 by Charles Macdonald, a folk artist, socialist and owner of a cement brick factory.
View the Source Joseph R. Bowles House (Wikipedia)
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two-story reinforced concrete building with Spanish tile roof and Italian marble columns.
View the Source Tadao Ando (Wikipedia)
Marina City (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationSeen In: Marina City, Article textQuote, Seen In: Marina City, Article text
When finished, the two towers were both the tallest residential buildings and the tallest reinforced concrete structures in the world.
View the Source Vizcaya Museum and Gardens (Wikipedia)
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Many are surprised to learn that it was built largely of reinforced concrete, with the latest technology of the period, such as generators and a water filtration system.
View the Source Mercury City Tower (Wikipedia)
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It also became the world's tallest building built of reinforced concrete.
View the Source Villa La Roche (Wikipedia)
Seen In: Maison La Roche, Article text
The use of reinforced concrete allowed for a choice of material for the facade, pilotis, long windows, and a terrace garden on a roof.
Seen In: Villa La Roche, Article text
The use of reinforced concrete allowed for a choice of material for the facade, pilotis, long windows, and a terrace garden on a roof.
View the SourceSky Tower (Auckland), Wikipedia
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The tower is constructed of high-performance reinforced concrete.
View the Source Kingdom Centre (Wikipedia)
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Its structure consists of two systems: reinforced concrete columns, beams, and core for the first 180 meters, and a tubular steel frame structure for the building's remaining height.
View the Source Wilshire Grand Center (Wikipedia)
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The Wilshire Grand was granted an exception by the Los Angeles City Fire Department however, as the building includes advances in fire safety and building technology (such as a reinforced concrete central core) which exceeds the city's current fire code.
View the Source Wikipedia: Theme Building
Seen In: LAX Theme Building, Article textQuote, Seen In: LAX Theme Building, Article text
The appearance of the building's signature crossed arches as homogeneous structures is a design illusion, created by topping four steel-reinforced concrete legs extending approximately 15 feet above the ground with hollow stucco-covered steel trusses.
View the Source National Museum of African American History and Culture (Wikipedia)
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While the below-grade floors were made of reinforced concrete, with columns supporting each floor above, the above-grade floors were primarily exhibit space and needed to be kept column-free.
View the Source Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Wikipedia)
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Having a circular shape to symbolize the tent that housed the Ark of the Covenant on its march through the desert, the building was built with reinforced concrete for the roof structure, covered with green oxidized copper sheets.
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