Urban heritage, building maintenance: Concrete

Concrete as a conglomerate of sand, stone and a binder, is a very old material indeed. In the Roman period earth from Puozzoli, together with lime and water could bind the sand and the stones to form a conglomerate that has an affmity to our modem concrete. Later, in the more northem areas of Europe, the use of trass, plus water for a reaction, also produced cement. The Romans proved that they could build in a durable way with earth from Puozzoli, because even today we can still enjoy the aquaducts built all over Europe and the water reservoirs in Rome, which are still functioning. From building specifications for the Basilica of Constantine and the Pantheon, both in Rome, we know that cost could be reduced by using a mixture of stone fragments, Puzzuoli earth, lime and water for the inner parts of the walls.ArchitectureArchitectur