An early type of reinforced concrete construction system developed by François Hennebique, using iron or steel rods embedded in concrete.
From François Hennebique (1842-1921), a French engineer who pioneered reinforced concrete methods. The word eponymously preserves his name as a construction technique.
Hennebique's invention was revolutionary because it combined concrete (which is strong under compression) with steel (which is strong under tension) to make buildings that could span wider spaces—essentially, one engineer's technique was so important that his name became a permanent word in architecture.
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