Concrete — a hard material Pitt hopes to make harder

For thousands of years, people have built civilizations with concrete made from readily available local materials. Just mix and heat, add some sand, stone and water and put it where you want it. Of course, give it time to harden — that is, after you have left your hand print or initials.

So it’s no surprise that concrete is the world’s most widely used building material. Twice as much concrete has been used to build Pittsburgh — and everything else in the world — than wood and steel combined. So says concrete expert Julie Marie Vandenbossche, a University of Pittsburgh civil engineer.

Read David Templeton's full article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Author: David Templeton, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette