Solid States Conference

The Solid States_Changing Times for Concrete_Conference was held at Columbia University in the beginning of this month. A wide variety of topics were covered ranging from research in the molecular structure of concrete, new perspectives in concrete reinforcement(fiber-nanostructures , employment of fabrics,e.t.c.), historical retrospectives and innovative use of concrete in contemporary engineering and architectural practice. Architects once again proved their total inability of maintaining a scientific grounding on their work. (In the photo Prescot- Scott-Cohen and Neil Denari "praising" each other.) There is a lot to expect in the following years from the concrete industry who claim that concrete will be revolutionized and transformed in a completely "new" material.

 What was overall impressive though is the amount of concrete produced on planet earth every single year. More or less a cubic meter every year for every human being on the planet. The fact then that at least 35% of concrete takes water(potable water) to be produced makes the political implications obvious.