Concrete is a durable building material that uses cement as one of its components. There are four primary ingredients in concrete: cement, stone, sand, and water. The less water that is added to a concrete mixture, the stronger that mixture will be.

The water used in concrete activates the cement, which acts as the binding agent. Aggregates (coarse and fine) in the mix are bound together by the cement. Mixes that use larger aggregates tend to be stronger than those with finer aggregates.

Good concrete should have a few specific qualities that set it apart. First of all, the mix needs to be workable enough that it can be placed and consolidated properly. Yes, less water makes stronger concrete, but if your concrete is too dry, you won’t be able to get it in place.

Concrete may also need to meet certain specifications once it’s hardened. Good concrete should be resistant to freezing, thawing, and deicing chemicals; watertight; resistant to wear; and strong. With all of these requirements in mind, attention should be focused on the concrete's mix design.

The process of figuring out how to create this optimized concrete is called mix design. There are five primary components that concrete workers will need to consider when building a mix design: workability, strength, durability, density, and appearance.

Workability is that quality that allows the concrete that we mentioned to be placed with minimal effort and may also include considerations for whether the concrete will be pumped into place. Strength is a particularly important consideration for structural concrete, and durability determines how long the concrete will last. Density can contribute to strength and durability, and appearance is an important in decorative concrete applications.

Because of its durability and strength, concrete is a very popular building material. It comprises everything from the drainage culverts that run beneath our streets to the walls of modern homes. It forms the core of many of our skyscrapers and makes up the sidewalks we walk down every day.

Because of its versaility, construction workers can simply pour concrete into whatever shapes they need and then install those without having to shape, bend, cut, or weld the pieces. Architects appreciate concrete for its energy efficiency and the sense of safety it brings to a space.

In the past, homes have been framed using wood, but in the last few years, architects started taking a harder look at concrete. Wood is vulnerable to termites, moisture damage, rot, fire, and many other sorts of damage and destruction. To combat those issues architects have begun turning to insulated concrete forms for their building envelopes.

Insulated concrete forms start with large blocks made of a Styrofoam-like material. These blocks have channels cut down through the middle of them similar to cinderblocks and are easy to stack together. Builders frame up a wall using these blocks, drive rebar down through the channels, and then pour them full of concrete.

Houses built using these insulated concrete forms are incredibly well insulated and durable. They provide a high degree of soundproofing, and they’re virtually waterproof. These have become especially popular in coastal areas where the threat of hurricanes requires builders to find creative ways to build durable homes.