IN PRAISE OF CONCRETE. This article by Tim Harford on the BBC website is entitled: “The Hidden Strengths of Unloved Concrete” (link via Marginal Revolution). It is part of a BBC series “50 Things That Made the Modern Economy”. Harford pays tribute to the importance of concrete in the modern world: “the world consumes absolutely vast quantities of concrete: five tonnes, per person, per year.”
Unlike wood, concrete is recognized as durable. Harford says: “In a million years, when our steel has rusted and our wood has rotted, concrete will remain…..well-made concrete is waterproof, storm proof, fireproof, strong and cheap.”