François Hennebique was the French engineer and a self-taught builder who in 1892 patented his innovatory system of reinforced-concrete construction by uniting separate construction elements such as piers and beams into a single monolithic element. Hennebique system was one of the first manifestation of modern method of construction with reinforced-concrete.
At first Hennebique worked as bricklayer and then when he got interested in restoration of old churches he became a builder. Béton Armé, Hennebique system, began with usage of concrete as fire protection for hammered iron beams for the house project in Belgium in 1879. However he understood that ceiling system would be more economical if the iron was used only there where the slab was. tension resting on concrete in compression zones. Reinforced-concrete – concrete slab with iron rod at the bottom – was his solution to the problem.
His business was rapidly growing: from five employees in Brussels in 1896 to twenty-fine ones when he moved to Paris two years later. Moreover, he had a rapidly developing network of firms that were his system’s agents. Among these are LG Mouchel and FA