The Concrete Society is a UK based

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

company that was founded in 1966 in response to the increasing need for a single organisation embracing all those interested in

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...

. On its formal

inauguration In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inau ...

, on 13 October 1966, the society took over the work of the four organisations (the Reinforced Concrete Association, the Prestressed Concrete Development Group, the Pavings Development Group and the Formwork Development Group), by then in the process of dissolution, in order both to carry on their work and to extend it to cover the entire field of concrete technology and use. Today The Concrete Society is an independent concrete advisory company, providing information to industry clients, architects, engineers, specifiers, suppliers, contractors and users of concrete. The society is an individual membership body, without trade affiliations, which exists to provide information to exchange information and experience and to promote concrete as a construction medium.About us.
The Concrete Society''. Retrieved 9 November 2016.''

Membership

The Concrete Society is an independent membership

organisation An organization or organisation ( Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is an entity—such as a company, or corporation or an institution ( formal organization), or an association—comprising one or more people and having a pa ...

bringing together all those with an interest in concrete. It allows members to exchange knowledge and experience across all disciplines.

''Concrete Magazine''

As part of its services, the Concrete Society provides its members, and all interested parties, with its own publication. ''Concrete Magazine'' targets the global concrete industry by bringing stories from across the UK/Ireland. ''Concrete Engineering International'' (CEI) covers projects around the world, and is published every six months providing international features and articles covering the global concrete construction industry. The magazine is available in both digital and print version and is available to all the members of the society.

Trust

The Concrete Society Trust was established in 1965. Recently its main activity has been an annual awards competition for students studying a concrete related discipline, involving the assessment of research papers and theses. Another trust was incorporated in 1969, The Joe Peirce Trust. It was initially established to provide an annual prize for the best candidate for the Advanced Concrete Technology. The next step of the Trust was to award travelling bursaries for the students interested in attending national and international conferences related to their field of study. Since the number of suitable candidates has fallen significantly in recent years, it was decided to merge both trusts into a single body with a combined portfolio of awards, which led to formation of The Concrete Society Trust. Both parties agreed to keep the original awards, but broaden the scope by allowing the applicants to be at any stage of their career opposed to making it solely available to university students.

Coat of arms

The arms were officially granted on September 5, 1967. The shield shows a union of four quarters, Or (gold/yellow) representing fine and coarse aggregate and

Argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...

(silver/white) representing cement. The wavy

fess In heraldry, a fess or fesse (from Middle English ', Old French ', and -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... ', and charge on a coat of arms">Latin ' ...

suggests water and the

Sable The sable (''Martes zibellina'') is a species of marten, a small omnivorous mammal primarily inhabiting the forest environments of Russia, from the Ural Mountains throughout Siberia, and northern Mongolia. Its habitat also borders eastern Kaz ...

(black) pale, reinforcement. The

Gules In heraldry, gules () is the tincture with the colour red. It is one of the class of five dark tinctures called "colours", the others being azure (blue), sable (black), vert (green) and purpure (purple). Gules is portrayed in heraldic hatch ...

(red) annulet is for the association of the elements of the Society, and the lions a symbol of strength. The four quarters also symbolise the four bodies that came together in the Society. In the crest the

mural crown A mural crown () is a Crown (headgear), crown or headpiece representing city walls, fortified tower, towers, or fortresses. In classical antiquity, it was an emblem of tutelary deities who watched over a city, and among the ancient Rome, Romans ...

is an emblem of building and architecture and the circle issuing from it and the lion repeat the symbolism of the shield while the snowflake brings in a personal touch, representing Sir Frederick Snow's role in the formation of the society. The motto 'Concreti Corroboramur' means 'Having come together, we are strengthened'.

References

External links

Official website.
Concrete Organizations established in 1966 Organisations based in Berkshire Construction in the United Kingdom Camberley Construction organizations {{UK-org-stub