Concrete is one of the strongest building materials known to humans. Over the last seventy years or so we’ve begun using concrete to build bigger and better structures. It’s what keeps Concrete Stroud based company Monster Mix so busy. What are the most famous concrete structures and what are they used for?
- Christ the Redeemer. One of South America’s most iconic statues, it stands in the city of Rio De Janeiro. The statue is constructed with reinforced concrete covered in tiles. The designers clearly wanted to keep the piece in good condition as they built an access point for maintenance.
- Three Gorges Dam in China. It’s clearly a useful feat of engineering as it is able to provide hydroelectric power to a large part of the Chinese populace and it’s been designed to allow shipping up the Yangtze river. However, its construction meant the enforced movement of entire villages.
- The Pentagon. The headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency, or CIA for short. These Government officials have had this place as theirs since the 11th September 1941, Unlike other structures it hardly uses any steel reinforcements. Much has been made of its unusual shape. However, the reason isn’t nearly that interesting or deliberate; it’s actually down to the placement of the existing roads and field systems that were already there.
- Burj Khalifa. The impressive concrete is not in the building itself but underneath it! As the Burj is by far the tallest building in the world the amount of reinforced concrete is legendary.
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