Embedding iron or steel bars in concrete combines concrete's compressive strength with steel's tensile strength, producing a cheap, mouldable structural material. The gardener Joseph Monier patented reinforced tubs and beams from 1867, and Francois Hennebique patented a complete monolithic frame system of columns, beams and slabs in 1892 that spread across Europe. Reinforced concrete enabled long spans, cantilevers, flat slabs and the bridges, dams, silos and frame buildings of the twentieth century. It became the default material of mass construction worldwide.
Reinforced concrete is the structural backbone of the modern built environment, making high-rise frames, large infrastructure and mass housing economically possible.