What material will it be built with in the middle of the XNUMXst century? It seems like an easy question to answer. Surely most of those who consider it will bet that there will be no major differences with the construction materials used today. The truth is that we only have thirty years left to see it, is that a long or short time? If we look at the construction in the different ages of the Earth, it is very little time. Little to see big changes some will say. It may be, but the truth is that technological advances mean that the time frame for new achievements and inventions is not the same as it was a couple of centuries ago. If you ask us today we have no doubts Concrete is the building material of our time.
A review of the construction materials used in the history of humanity
Construction is irremediably related to the human being. The development of societies is not conceivable without construction. The need to protect members of different human groups. Create a home for family units. The construction of towns and cities to satisfy the needs of human beings. From protection, trade, socialization, all these areas have required construction to become established. We can assure you that since human beings left the shelter of the caves they have not stopped building. Build structures for small groups, and at the same time weave larger scale structures to organize different groups. Creating the first cities…
Without a doubt the first buildings were temporary accommodations. Human beings had nomadic tendencies. He had set out to explore and conquer the world. The first societies are the Paleolithic clans. Hunters and nomads, their first buildings were cabins or shops. The construction materials used from skins, branches and cut wood. How long did that type of construction last? The answer is surprising, these materials and types of construction have been present for half a million years in human history. The truth is said soon. They are undoubtedly the oldest construction materials and methods today.
Middle Eastern civilizations, adobe
Humanity advances, human beings lose their status as nomadic hunters. Another more sedentary phase begins. Enclaves are sought near natural water sources, where cultivation can be done. At the same time without losing sight of the hunt of course. Now the human being is the dominator of predators, and the protection he needs is more from other groups of human beings than from animals. All this influences the type of construction and the construction materials to be used. More stable and solid structures are needed. That they last longer and serve more purposes than spending the night or shelter.
In what we know today as the Middle East, more or less in the year six thousand BC, it was colonized by humans. Their constructions begin to use an element that will be fundamental in the history of construction. The mud brick at this time was uncooked and mixed with straw. Constructions become more complex. This new material offers good performance as an insulator. And at the same time it allows you to start growing in tall structures. Adobe marks a milestone in the evolution of construction. As time passes, the following civilizations begin the construction of gigantic structures. More materials are used such as rocks and already fired bricks. Some construction materials that are used as mortars, for example asphalt bitumen. These grandiose constructions require auxiliary structures for their construction. Scaffolding appears with bamboo, cane and ropes...
The Roman Empire, the XNUMXth century…
The Roman Empire marks another milestone in construction. Cities have needed structures to channel water. Roads to connect towns and promote commerce. Aqueducts, the impressive network of Roman roads... There are studies that show that in the Iberian Peninsula the network of Roman roads had nothing to envy of the current road network of our modern state. What materials were used in construction? There are two different lines of construction, on the one hand that of public or official buildings. Those intended for officials and members of high society. In those, carved stone is used. From granite or sandstone, to marble. For the town's buildings, fired brick, along with wood, are the main materials. Another material appears that serves to secure the knots of the construction, iron nails.
The truth is that carved stone and wood will continue to be the materials par excellence of later civilizations. The stone is even reused, buildings that either stopped being used or that could not be used after conflicts. They served to supply the new constructions. In the XNUMXth century, steel production and large cities once again changed the line of construction. Residential buildings, in height and to build them concrete reinforcements and metal beams, replacing wood. That same trend continued during the XNUMXth century, brick, steel and concrete making their way.
What does the future hold
We particularly think that we are in a transition phase. Brick will not disappear, but reinforced concrete, specifically prefabricated concrete, will become more and more important. Surely previous civilizations thought they were faced with the definitive materials or the final construction method. They were wrong as time has shown us. Civilizations that did not keep up with the changing times and evolution disappeared. Other materials will make the leap, as it may be. They are working on researching new materials to use in construction, that is undeniable.
From 3D printed graphene that eliminates the inconveniences of its natural presentation in the form of sheets. Going through investigations with concrete, looking for that concrete that can be repaired from within. Biotechnology studies that mix bacteria with concrete can give us a bio-concrete that borders on science fiction or not. Self-healing elastomers, metamaterials... All of them that today seem impossible to apply in construction are being studied. How long will it take them to make the leap from the laboratory to the pit? Time has the answer, we will see, who knows.
