Concrete Revolution

Concrete Revolution PDF Author: Christopher Sneddon
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022628445X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 283

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Book Description
Water may seem innocuous, but as a universal necessity, it inevitably intersects with politics when it comes to acquisition, control, and associated technologies. While we know a great deal about the socioecological costs and benefits of modern dams, we know far less about their political origins and ramifications. In Concrete Revolution, Christopher Sneddon offers a corrective: a compelling historical account of the US Bureau of Reclamation’s contributions to dam technology, Cold War politics, and the social and environmental adversity perpetuated by the US government in its pursuit of economic growth and geopolitical power. Founded in 1902, the Bureau became enmeshed in the US State Department’s push for geopolitical power following World War II, a response to the Soviet Union’s increasing global sway. By offering technical and water resource management advice to the world’s underdeveloped regions, the Bureau found that it could not only provide them with economic assistance and the United States with investment opportunities, but also forge alliances and shore up a country’s global standing in the face of burgeoning communist influence. Drawing on a number of international case studies—from the Bureau’s early forays into overseas development and the launch of its Foreign Activities Office in 1950 to the Blue Nile investigation in Ethiopia—Concrete Revolution offers insights into this historic damming boom, with vital implications for the present. If, Sneddon argues, we can understand dams as both technical and political objects rather than instruments of impartial science, we can better participate in current debates about large dams and river basin planning.

Concrete Revolution

Concrete Revolution PDF Author: Christopher Sneddon
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022628445X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 283

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Book Description
Water may seem innocuous, but as a universal necessity, it inevitably intersects with politics when it comes to acquisition, control, and associated technologies. While we know a great deal about the socioecological costs and benefits of modern dams, we know far less about their political origins and ramifications. In Concrete Revolution, Christopher Sneddon offers a corrective: a compelling historical account of the US Bureau of Reclamation’s contributions to dam technology, Cold War politics, and the social and environmental adversity perpetuated by the US government in its pursuit of economic growth and geopolitical power. Founded in 1902, the Bureau became enmeshed in the US State Department’s push for geopolitical power following World War II, a response to the Soviet Union’s increasing global sway. By offering technical and water resource management advice to the world’s underdeveloped regions, the Bureau found that it could not only provide them with economic assistance and the United States with investment opportunities, but also forge alliances and shore up a country’s global standing in the face of burgeoning communist influence. Drawing on a number of international case studies—from the Bureau’s early forays into overseas development and the launch of its Foreign Activities Office in 1950 to the Blue Nile investigation in Ethiopia—Concrete Revolution offers insights into this historic damming boom, with vital implications for the present. If, Sneddon argues, we can understand dams as both technical and political objects rather than instruments of impartial science, we can better participate in current debates about large dams and river basin planning.

The Concrete Dragon

The Concrete Dragon PDF Author: Thomas J. Campanella
Publisher: Chronicle Books
ISBN: 1568989482
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 337

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Book Description
China is the most rapidly urbanizing nation in the world, with an urban population that may well reach one billion within a generation. Over the past 25 years, surging economic growth has propelled a construction boom unlike anything the world has ever seen, radically transforming both city and countryside in its wake. The speed and scale of China's urban revolution challenges nearly all our expectations about architecture, urbanism and city planning. China's ambition to be a major player on the global stage is written on the skylines of every major city. This is a nation on the rise, and it is building for the record books. China is now home to some of the world's tallest skyscrapers and biggest shopping malls; the longest bridges and largest airport; the most expansive theme parks and gated communities and even the world's largest skateboard park. And by 2020 China's national network of expressways will exceed in length even the American interstate highway system. China's construction industry, employing a workforce equal to the population of California, has been erecting billions of square feet of housing and office space every year. But such extensive development has also meant demolition on a scale unprecedented in the peacetime history of the world. Nearly all of Beijing's centuries-old cityscape has been bulldozed in recent years, and redevelopment in Shanghai has displaced more families than 30 years of urban renewal in the United States. China's cities are also rapidly sprawling across the landscape, churning precious farmland into a landscape of superblock housing estates and single-family subdivisions laced with highways and big-box malls. In a mere generation, China's cities have undergone a metamorphosis that took 150 years to complete in the United States. The Concrete Dragon: China's Urban Revolution and What it Means for the World sheds light on this extraordinary chapter in world urban history. The book surveys the driving forces behind the great Chinese building boom, traces the historical precedents and global flows of ideas and information that are fusing to create a bold new Chinese cityscape, and considers the social and environmental impacts of China's urban future. The Concrete Dragon provides a critical overview of contemporary Chinese urbanization in light of both China's past as well as earlier episodes of rapid urban development elsewhere in the world--especially that of the United States, a nation that itself once set global records for the speed and scale of its urban ambitions.

Concrete Planet

Concrete Planet PDF Author: Robert Courland
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 163388869X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 425

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Book Description
Concrete: We use it for our buildings, bridges, dams, and roads. We walk on it, drive on it, and many of us live and work within its walls. But very few of us know what it is. We take for granted this ubiquitous substance, which both literally and figuratively comprises much of modern civilization's constructed environment; yet the story of its creation and development features a cast of fascinating characters and remarkable historical episodes. Featuring a new epilogue on the Surfside condominium collapse and the current state of infrastructure in America, this book delves into this history, opening readers' eyes at every turn. In a lively narrative peppered with intriguing details, author Robert Courland describes how some of the most famous personalities of history became involved in the development and use of concrete-including King Herod the Great of Judea, the Roman emperor Hadrian, Thomas Edison (who once owned the largest concrete cement plant in the world), and architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Courland points to recent archaeological evidence suggesting that the discovery of concrete directly led to the Neolithic Revolution and the rise of the earliest civilizations. Much later, the Romans reached extraordinarily high standards for concrete production, showcasing their achievement in iconic buildings like the Coliseum and the Pantheon. Amazingly, with the fall of the Roman Empire, the secrets of concrete manufacturing were lost for over a millennium. The author explains that when concrete was rediscovered in the late eighteenth century it was initially viewed as an interesting novelty or, at best, a specialized building material suitable only for a narrow range of applications. It was only toward the end of the nineteenth century that the use of concrete exploded. During this rapid expansion, industry lobbyists tried to disguise the fact that modern concrete had certain defects and critical shortcomings. It is now recognized that modern concrete, unlike its Roman predecessor, gradually disintegrates with age. Compounding this problem is another distressing fact: the manufacture of concrete cement is a major contributor to global warming. Concrete Planet is filled with incredible stories, fascinating characters, surprising facts, and an array of intriguing insights into the building material that forms the basis of the infrastructure on which we depend.

3D Printing of Concrete

3D Printing of Concrete PDF Author: Arnaud Perrot
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1786303418
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 176

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Book Description
The introduction of digital manufacturing techniques, such as 3D printing applied to concrete material, opens up new perspectives on the way in which buildings are designed. Research on this theme is thriving and there is a high rate of innovation related to concrete. At the same time, the first life-size constructions made from printed concrete are emerging from the ground. This book presents state-of-the-art knowledge on the different printing processes as well as on the concrete material that must adapt to these new manufacturing techniques, such as new hardware and new printers for concrete. The possibilities in terms of architectural design are discussed as well as the pathways that remain to be uncovered. The book also explores the challenges that researchers and companies expect to overcome as they get closer to democratizing this potential revolution that is the digital manufacturing of concrete.

User's Guide to ASTM Specification C94 on Ready-Mixed Concrete

User's Guide to ASTM Specification C94 on Ready-Mixed Concrete PDF Author:
Publisher: ASTM International
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 147

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Book Description


Concrete What?

Concrete What? PDF Author: Aiden Feynman
Publisher: Publifye AS
ISBN: 823393450X
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 159

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Book Description
""Concrete What?"" delves into the ubiquitous material that forms the foundation of our modern world: concrete. This comprehensive exploration covers the historical development, chemical and physical properties, and applications of this versatile substance in modern construction. The book traces concrete's lineage from ancient Egyptian lime mortars to Roman hydraulic cement, providing context for its evolution and impact on civilization. The central argument posits that concrete is not merely a building material, but a transformative technology shaping human society and addressing future challenges. From basic components and chemistry to cutting-edge applications like self-healing concrete, the book progresses logically through topics such as reinforced and high-performance varieties. It draws on scientific research, historical records, and case studies, incorporating insights from leading experts in the field. By combining technical information with historical narrative and future speculation, ""Concrete What?"" offers a unique perspective on this crucial material. The book addresses ongoing debates, including the environmental impact of cement production and sustainable formulations, making it valuable for professionals, students, and general readers interested in technology, architecture, and the built environment.

The Concrete Body

The Concrete Body PDF Author: Elise Archias
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300217978
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 236

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Book Description
Cover -- Half-title -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction. When the Body Is the Material -- 1 Hurray for People: Yvonne Rainer -- 2 Concretions: Carolee Schneemann -- 3 Reasons to Move: Vito Acconci -- Coda. Forming the Senses -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- Y -- Z -- Illustration Credits

Toward a Concrete Philosophy

Toward a Concrete Philosophy PDF Author: Mikko Immanen
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 1501752383
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 179

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Book Description
Toward a Concrete Philosophy explores the reactions of Theodor Adorno, Max Horkheimer, and Herbert Marcuse to Martin Heidegger prior to their dismissal of him once he turned to the Nazi party in 1933. Mikko Immanen provides a fascinating glimpse of the three future giants of twentieth-century social criticism when they were still looking for their philosophical voices. By reconstructing their overlooked debates with Heidegger and Heideggerians, Immanen argues that Adorno, Horkheimer, and Marcuse saw Heidegger's 1927 magnum opus, Being and Time, as a serious effort to make philosophy relevant for life again and as the most provocative challenge to their nascent materialist diagnoses of the discontents of European modernity. Our knowledge of Adorno's "Frankfurt discussion" with "Frankfurt Heideggerians" remains anecdotal, even though it led to a proto-version of Dialectic of Enlightenment's idea of the entwinement of myth and reason. Similarly, Horkheimer's enthusiasm over Heidegger's legendary post–World War I lectures and criticism of Being and Time have escaped attention almost entirely. And Marcuse's intriguing debate with Heidegger over Hegel and the origin of the problematic of "being and time" has remained uncharted until now. Reading these debates as fruitful intellectual encounters rather than hostile confrontations, Toward a Concrete Philosophy offers scholars of critical theory a new, thought-provoking perspective on the emergence of the Frankfurt School as a rejoinder to Heidegger's philosophical revolution.

Durability and Sustainability of Concrete

Durability and Sustainability of Concrete PDF Author: Nausherwan Hasan
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030515737
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 253

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Book Description
This book provides practicing engineers with a step by step approach for making durable concrete with optimum use of the local materials available within the various regions of the United States. It further includes actual concrete mixture proportions for high performance concrete for strength and durability under various aggressive environments based on the author’s experience in the field, and support this with illustrative case studies. Examples for concrete mixture proportions, based on the current industry practice and standards, are highlighted to assist engineers in meeting the intended performance requirements (for specific environment conditions) for durable concrete. Covering an important topic for the construction and building materials industries, this book delivers the most up-to-date industry practices and advances in concrete construction from the perspective of a practicing engineer with over 40 year experience. Maximizes practicing engineers’ understanding of best design and construction practices in fabricating, delivery, and installation of concrete, consistent with current knowledge on concrete durability Discusses quality control and testing requirements during design and construction, including mixing, production, and placement of concrete and tolerances for slump and air content Emphasizes real-world examples of optimal concrete mixtures, suitable for selected service conditions and applications, based on prior successful records of projects within the US Addresses the role of innovative admixtures in concrete placement in cold weather conditions below 32F and meeting the strength and durability requirements Serves as a valuable resource for students in graduate programs

ACI Manual of Concrete Inspection

ACI Manual of Concrete Inspection PDF Author:
Publisher: American Concrete Institute
ISBN: 0870312758
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 203

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Book Description
This manual is intended to guide, assist, and instruct concrete inspectors and others engaged in concrete construction and testing, including field engineers, construction superintendents, supervisors, laboratory and field technicians, and workers. Designers may also find the manual to be a valuable reference by using the information to better adapt their designs to the realities of field construction. Because of the diverse possible uses of the manual and the varied backgrounds of the readers, it includes the reasoning behind the technical instructions. The field of concrete construction has expanded dramatically over the years to reflect the many advances that have taken place in the concrete industry. Although many of the fundamentals presented in previous editions of this manual remain relevant and technically correct, this eleventh edition incorporates new material to address these advances in technology