Dutch Scientists Have Created a Concrete Building That Can Repair Itself

Concrete is one of the most commonly used architectural materials in the modern world, but it’s also one of the most fragile—at the slightest contact with rain, cracks can become routine and burden the structure with studious maintenance.

Employees make a flat bottom in the round tunnels of the North/South subway line with a pavermachine in Amsterdam, on February 5,2014. LEX VAN LIESHOUT/AFP/Getty Images

Concrete is one of the most commonly used architectural materials in the modern world, but it’s also one of the most fragile—at the slightest contact with rain, cracks can become routine and burden the structure with continuous maintenance.

One danger posed by a concrete structure with cracks is that water can seep in and cause the underlying steel beams to rust, which is often a prelude to a collapse of a part or the entirety of the structure.

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