Concrete’s in-built benefits

The long life of concrete buildings is due to concrete’s in-built properties.

The durability of concrete enables it to resist weathering action, chemical attack and abrasion while maintaining its desired properties. Concrete is inert, non-combustible, non-biodegradable and does not rust, warp, rot or melt and retains its structural stability at high temperatures. The vast majority of concrete buildings will not suffer structural damage in a flood or after a leak.

Concrete buildings remain durable with much lower associated maintenance costs and impacts than other materials which, for example, may require repainting or treatment for mould or rotting.

Most importantly, unlike other construction materials, concrete’s flexibility and adaptability means that concrete buildings can easily be reconverted and changed to accommodate any design meaning that demolition is not always the automatic course of action. Structures can often be stripped back to their concrete core, then rebuilt to new, contemporary designs and specifications, thereby ensuring efficient use of resources. In addition, given that a building’s use accounts for over 80% of its environmental impacts, the long service life of concrete buildings reduce impacts over their life-time, when compared to buildings with a shorter life.

Looked at from a whole-life perspective, a fabric-first approach with concrete is the simplest construction method to design, construct and maintain long-lasting buildings which are built for life.