Introducing concrete: German concrete firms at exhibitions before 1914

摘要

Concrete made with Portland cement was one of several new materials developed in the nineteenth century. As with most other new materials, the built environment professions in Germany first took little notice of concrete or even refused to use it. A few decades later (reinforced) concrete became one of the most important construction materials. This success can be mainly ascribed to the clever public relations strategies of the concrete industry. This paper demonstrates the important role of both international exhibitions and national (building trades) exhibitions in establishing concrete in the construction industry before 1914. First, the exhibitions helped to introduce concrete as a material for the building trade. This had already been achieved by early presentations of precast concrete elements. Then, concrete companies presented spectacular arch bridges with small cross-sections at exhibitions to convince architects and engineers to use concrete for load-bearing structures, especially in the field of civil engineering. Finally, the companies highlighted the aesthetic qualities of concrete construction by erecting several exemplary exhibition pavilions. By this means they wanted to establish concrete in the field of prestigious building construction. The impact of the exhibition presentations was multiplied by countless articles about the exhibits in contemporary trade journals.