Integrated Buildings & Structures

I recently read an article about roman concrete (https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/12/study-confirms-romans-used-hot-mixing-to-make-concrete/" href="https://url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/0C9vCW6jnXuXMAjLi6f2HoiUO7?domain=arstechnica.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" class="fui-Link ___1q1shib f2hkw1w f3rmtva f1ewtqcl fyind8e f1k6fduh f1w7gpdv fk6fouc fjoy568 figsok6 f1s184ao f1mk8lai fnbmjn9 f1o700av f13mvf36 f1cmlufx f9n3di6 f1ids18y f1tx3yz7 f1deo86v f1eh06m1 f1iescvh fhgqx19 f1olyrje f1p93eir f1nev41a f1h8hb77 f1lqvz6u f10aw75t fsle3fq f17ae5zn" title="https://url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/0c9vcw6jnxuxmajli6f2hoiuo7?domain=arstechnica.com/">https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/12/study-confirms-romans-used-hot-mixing-to-make-concrete/) and it started me questioning whether the concrete we are pouring now is better than historically.

I have been involved in the demolition of concrete that was 2,500-3,000 psi that was formed at the turn of the last century, and the contractors always complain about how much stronger it is than they anticipated.  Are plasticizers and all the other additives we use actually creating a better product?  Would we be better served by slowing down the process and respecting that concrete needs certain temperatures and time to set?

What do others think about this?  Are additives making concrete lower quality in the long run?

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Sarah Halsey P.E., M.ASCE
New York NY
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Hello Sarah,

Thank you for sharing this thought-provoking question. Historical concrete, such as Roman or early 20th-century mixes, often achieved remarkable durability and strength due to slow curing and careful material selection. Modern concrete incorporates additives like plasticizers, accelerators, and supplementary cementitious materials to enhance workability, speed up curing, and achieve specific performance characteristics.

While these additives improve certain short-term properties, long-term durability can sometimes be affected if curing conditions or mix design are not optimized. Slower curing and attention to temperature and hydration processes, similar to historical practices, can indeed increase long-term strength and durability.

In short, modern concrete is better in terms of workability and consistency, but respecting proper curing and understanding material interactions remains crucial for achieving lasting quality.

Best regards,
Darya Stanskova

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Darya Stanskova M.ASCE
Cost Estimator, Construction Engineer, Power Engineer, Project Manager
Fort Myers FL
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Thank you, Darya, for summing up the pros and cons of this based on the literature and how we currently specify these products.

I am hoping that others will also weigh in based on their experience, both with placing modern concrete and removing concrete.  Are people finding that 10 year old concrete is stronger and better than when placed?  Are we getting as good long term results as historical concrete did?

One of the issues I see in modern concrete is that when I am walking around and looking at foundations, walls, etc. or working on site the resulting concrete is not as good quality as it should be, based on the literature.

Bug holes, map cracking, cracks, voids, cold joints and other imperfections are common and require repair after the forms are removed.  

This is what makes me question whether we are actually delivering quality concrete that will last or if there is a way to reconsider concrete that will provide a better result.

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Sarah Halsey P.E., M.ASCE
New York NY
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Original Message:
Sent: 01-17-2026 08:20 PM
From: Darya Stanskova
Subject: Is concrete better now than 2,000 years ago?

Hello Sarah,

Thank you for sharing this thought-provoking question. Historical concrete, such as Roman or early 20th-century mixes, often achieved remarkable durability and strength due to slow curing and careful material selection. Modern concrete incorporates additives like plasticizers, accelerators, and supplementary cementitious materials to enhance workability, speed up curing, and achieve specific performance characteristics.

While these additives improve certain short-term properties, long-term durability can sometimes be affected if curing conditions or mix design are not optimized. Slower curing and attention to temperature and hydration processes, similar to historical practices, can indeed increase long-term strength and durability.

In short, modern concrete is better in terms of workability and consistency, but respecting proper curing and understanding material interactions remains crucial for achieving lasting quality.

Best regards,
Darya Stanskova

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Darya Stanskova M.ASCE
Cost Estimator, Construction Engineer, Power Engineer, Project Manager
Fort Myers FL
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