Concrete is an amazing building material and is widely used in nearly every construction detail around the world. Concrete is used to build stern, no-nonsense office buildings, infrastructures such as bridges, tunnels and subways, and complex architectural wonders such as the Sydney Opera House. It’s also made to form walls and concrete pavers in modern houses. Because it’s a flexible and versatile material that can be applied to any shape and form, the possibilities of concrete construction are endless. Concrete comes in different shapes, forms, methods, and techniques as well, adding wonderful applications to the amazing building material.
Concrete may be an unimpressive piece of rock to someone new to the field of construction. Maybe this is why plenty of people are surprised when they hear that most architectural wonders we see today are made of famous building materials. Even most steel structures such as the Eiffel Tower can’t stand without its concrete foundations.
Let’s take a look at some of the famous buildings around the world that are made of concrete.
The Roman Colosseum
- This is an engineering and architectural wonder that has withstood the test of time for nearly 1,500 years. It’s made of roman concrete back in 80 A.D., and it still stands tall until this day. The pictures you see of the colosseum in your old history books show the same Roman colosseum. It has undergone any major depreciation or deterioration other than vandalism, robbery, and natural disasters. The Roman concrete that constitutes the colosseum remains strong to this day. Despite the harsh tests of time, the structure still remains pristine, as if it was made with polished concrete.
Hoover Dam
- Originally called the Boulder Dam, the Hoover Dam was created to push the United States economy out of the Great Depression. It was the largest construction project of its time, requiring over 750,000 cubic meters of concrete. The enormous Hoover dam stands on the state borders of Nevada and Arizona, allowing tourists and visitors to cross one state to the other by crossing it. It’s also one of the United State’s largest hydroelectric power producers, yielding approximately 4 billion kilowatts of electricity every year.
The Pantheon
- The Pantheon is the largest unreinforced concrete structure in the world. And to add to its splendour, it has withstood the test of time for almost 2,000 years, making it older than the Roman Colosseum. The Pantheon, until this day, remains as one of the most preserved ancient buildings in the world. Despite the test of time, the Pantheon still remains as pristine as polished concrete.
Burj Khalifa
- The tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, required nearly 370,000 cubic meters of concrete for both its structure and its foundation. It’s recorded to be more than 820 meters tall and has more than 160 storeys. The designs on its walls and floors are made with decorative concrete and concrete pavers. The Burj Khalifa is said to be so tall that it holds the world record for the highest occupied structure and the longest elevator distance travelled.
The Pentagon
- This building is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense. It’s an enormous 5-sided structure that houses over 20,000 workers. It’s had its fair share of damages from terrorist attacks and has had to be repaired a few times, but it still stands strong until this day.
