Uploaded on 2014-10-30 by YuliaSharova

I have made this photo in Leeds in the UK. The photo is another proof of the use of concrete in construction. Nowadays reinforced concrete has big advantages over other building materials. I think the main advantages of reinforced concrete concern the possibility of creating buildings of all shapes and sizes, high bearing capacity and fast construction. I agree with the tutors about the advantage of using local materials in construction. However, if we speak about the British context, local materials, such as limestone, require much more manual labour. They are normally used only in low-rise buildings and for decoration. It's a good idea to use recycled materials in buildings, but to be honest I'm not ready to live in a house made from plastic bottles. Plastic produces unpleasant smell and it needs to be reinforced anyway. The plastic bottles are associated with rubbish, so they need to be decorated. I can imagine an interesting art object which is made of plastic bottles, but not a residential building. I think the use of concrete and glass will be dominant in construction for the next fifty years. It is a natural was to build impressive buildings. There are no materials at the moment with the properties to rival concrete and metal. [1]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14147052983972065.jpg