Concrete

As the title promises, this book by Mary Soderstrom explores the history, mechanics and many uses of concrete as well as the consequences of its ubiquity.

A professional in the field of building design and construction (material science and manufacturing etc.) is unlikely to learn anything new here aside from a few curious factoids, but it is a solid work for a layperson to pick up.

The book is organized into chapters based on the four elements: earth, fire, water and air. It sounds superfluous when Soderstrom initially introduces it, but actually works quite well as a structuring principle. Additionally, the book concludes with a list of 20 building milestones that illustrate the history of the material, some of which are explored in the earlier text. I wish that kind of structure was more evident throughout the book, since it is relevant and straightforward.

In each chapter Soderstrom explores the process of manufacturing, historical and contemporary application of concrete and looks at some specific projects, events or trends as they relate to the particular element. She covers the timeline from antiquity to the present day (almost literally, mentioning the COVID-19 epidemic at one point) and a wide breadth of disciplines, speaking about manufacturing, architecture, transportation, environmental conservation, waste management, power generation etc.
She has clearly done her research and covers a lot of information. Some, perhaps even most, of what she talks about is only tangentially related to concrete, but it is well-articulated, interesting and fits cohesively into a single narrative, so is a pleasure to read.

This is a book that teaches the reader about the pervasiveness, importance and the footprint of concrete more so than about its physical properties or specific applications, and it does so in an engaging manner.
Would recommend.

Worthwhile read on concrete

I enjoyed this book. Mary Soderstrom tells an interesting story about concrete and its uses, for better or worse. She has a very conversational tone that makes reading the book pleasurable. However, detracting from this enjoyment is that I found the tone of the book to be somewhat preachy. In addition, I didn’t find this book as compelling as the other book by Soderstrom I read, “Road Through Time: The Story of Humanity on the Move”. But overall, “Concrete” is good and is well worth reading.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley for review purposes.