Concrete: The Stuff That Built the Modern World

We live in an age of stone, yet we rarely look at the gray slabs beneath our feet. After water, concrete is the most consumed substance on Earth. It is the literal foundation of modern life, yet it is a material we have profoundly misunderstood. In 'Concrete: The Stuff That Built the Modern World', structural engineer Owen Briggs takes readers on a fascinating journey from the volcanic ash of the Roman Empire—where 2,000-year-old domes still defy gravity—to the crumbling parking garages and 'concrete cancer' of the 21st century.

Briggs reveals that concrete is not a static rock, but a liquid stone and a 'chemical battery' in a constant state of restless energy. Through the lens of history, chemistry, and high-stakes engineering, discover why the secrets of the Pantheon were lost for a millennium, how the 'marriage' of steel and stone created the skyline, and why our current obsession with fast-setting cement is a climate time bomb. This is a serious exploration of the molecular glue holding our world together, written for anyone who has ever looked at a skyscraper or a dam and wondered: how long can this actually last?