1910: Reinforced Concrete Mushroom Column

  

Image Source: [1] [2]

Innovation: Reinforced Concrete Mushroom Column
Location: Giesshubel Warehouse – Zurich, Switzerland
Year: 1910
By: Robert Maillart

Swiss civil engineer, Robert Maillart, revolutionized the use of structural reinforced concrete with his designs for bridges and column design in a number of buildings. His revolutionary mushroom ceiling was first constructed in the Giesshubel warehouse, where several new designs were implemented. Instead of reinforcing the concrete floor with beams, Maillart treated it as a flat slab and shaped the column capitals in such a way that the forces would flow smoothly, providing an elegant and efficient shape.

Ultimately, Maillart’s designs changed the “aesthetics and engineering of bridge construction and influence decades of architects and engineers after him. ”  `

Sources: [1]

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