Nabataean Concrete Use

The first known users of concrete were the Nabataean traders in 6500BC, long before
the Romans and the Greeks built their famous structures.
Their small empire was located in and around Syria and Jordan, and some of the
remains of their concrete structures still stand. The Nabataea were known to have
homes with concrete floors.

Egyptian Concrete
The Egyptians were using early forms of concrete over 5000 years ago to build
pyramids. They mixed mud and straw to form bricks and used gypsum and lime to make
mortars.

Roman Architecture
The ancient Romans used a material that is remarkably close to modern cement to build
many of their architectural marvels, and they used concrete extensively from 300 BC to
476 AD.

Portland Cement Invented

In 1824 Joseph Aspdin of England is credited with the invention of modern Portland
cement. in 1849 Joseph Monier invented the reinforced.

In 1889, the first concrete reinforced bridge was built in america, and in 1891 George
Bartholomew poured the first concrete street in Ohio, and it still exists today.

The first concrete high rise building was built in Ohio, in 1903. Then, in 1908, Thomas
Edison designed and built the first concrete homes.

The first concrete mixed off site and delivered to a construction site was in 1913. and
finally, the polished concrete begins in popularity in Europe in 1991.
Adv:

-Concrete is a durable material and can last for a long time if its properly constructed.

-Concrete floors designed to carry the imposed loading will generally possess adequate
stiffness and will not deflect under the applied load.

-ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Concrete floors possess high thermal mass and this can be used to improve the internal
environment within the dwelling and reduce the energy demand for thermal comfort.

-SPEED OF CONSTRUCTION
It can be constructed quickly.

-DAMP RESISTANCE
It is nonabsorbent and offers sufficient resistance to dampness.

-COST OF MAINTENANCE
it’s easy to clean and the maintenance cost of concrete floor is very less.

-FIRE RESISTANCE:
the concrete is non-combustible material; this flooring offers a fire-resistant floor.

Unlimited design option. It’s a weatherproof and versatile material.

Disad:

It’s hard material to stand or sit on it.

In some cases, concrete can’t resist the moister that migrates from beneath the slab in
below grade basements.

concrete can develop cracks over time and will require patching up.

The process of manufacturing concrete is not environment-friendly as it uses a lot more

energy and emits greater volumes of carbon di oxide than other construction materials.

It can be difficult to patch, and it can be slippery when wet.

The third example is royal college of pathologist in London, they used the ribbed slab.

The project Architects, wanted to showcase visual, exposed concrete as a feature

of the building, highlighting the finish that can be achieved from a material often
only considered for its structural capabilities. The concept was to construct cast in-
situ concrete floor slabs with exposed ceiling soffits, using the voids between the
ribs to locate the strip lighting design on each floor. The use of a  ribbed design
reduced the overall depth and weight of the floor slabs, with spans that provided a
space virtually uninterrupted by supporting columns.