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From ancient history to the present day , the most recent advancement can be found in NASA ’ s development of a waterless concrete 3D printer . A ( very ) long story cut short , concrete isn ’ t going anywhere soon . As such , it ’ s important to understand where concrete , and other building materials , have been . This way , we can further understand concrete ’ s almost limitless potential in our advancement as a species .

We spoke to the building material experts at Instarmac for their insight into the most influential building materials and their use throughout history – from mud bricks to smart concrete .

Mud bricks , 7500 BC

Unsurprisingly , bricks have been in use for thousands of years .

Synonymous as the ‘ building blocks ’ of our great towns and cities , bricks first found life being constructed with mud back in Syria in 7500 BC .

Discovered in the city of Tell Aswad ( now Turkey ), these bricks were shaped with clay and mud before being left to dry in the scorching weather and harden for adequate construction . These were simple dwellings by today ’ s standards , but incredible innovations at the time .

Concrete , 7000 BC

The earliest discovery of concrete can be traced back to 7000 BC and was found in an Israeli hut . It was made by mixing water with quick lime and stone , then leaving it to set . Humble beginnings are a wonderful thing !

Concrete in England , 43 AD

Fast forward 7,000 years , the Roman invasion of 43 AD brought death , conquest and concrete . The invasion brought with it many weird and wonderful things , including an elephant , but concrete was perhaps the most important . It was more advanced than anything previously seen in the

UK , developed using techniques that created a smooth finish while protecting the concrete core . After the Romans left in 410 AD , they took concrete with them

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