Nature, Science, and Enterprise: The Origins of the Success of Reinforced Concrete in Switzerland. The Introduction, Diffusion, and Supersedence of the Hennebique System

This contribution gives an account of how concrete construction developed in French-speaking Switzerland since the end of the nineteenth century. The narrative is based on original sources from the Archives de la construction moderne (Acm) and on data and facts from local technical literature. Most attention is paid to reinforced-concrete frame structures. This method of construction had been well-rooted in French-speaking Switzerland since Samuel de Molin became a dealer of the Hennebique system in Lausanne in 1892 and was a capital resource for architects and engineers.