Concrete material science: Past, present, and future innovations

Abstract Concrete is flying off, but it is simultaneously facing tremendous challenges in terms of environmental impact, financial needs, societal acceptance and image. Based on an historical approach of the science of concrete and reinforced concrete in particular, this paper calls for the exploration of radical changes in three key aspects of concrete use: reinforcement, binder content, and implementation methods. More precisely, it is suggested that, in parallel to the introduction of robotic fabrication methods, digital technologies may be key for the introduction several innovations like (i) rebar-free reinforcement using non-convex granular media; (ii) compression-optimized concrete structures, using topology optimization, architectural geometry, and 3D-printing or origami-patterned formworks; (iii) truly digital concrete through the coupling of massive data collection and deep learning.