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History
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The Concrete Society was formed in 1966 to address the increasing
need for a single organisation embracing all those interested
in concrete whether as designers, contractors, research
workers or suppliers of materials and services. After
discussions between representatives of four existing
bodies concerned with concrete (the Reinforced Concrete
Association, the Prestressed Concrete Development Group,
the Pavings Development Group and the Formwork Development
Group) The Concrete Society was incorporated as a non-
profit making company limited by guarantee on 28 July
1966.
On its formal inauguration, on 13 October 1966, the Society
took over the work of the four organisations, by then
in the process of dissolution, in order both to carry
on their work and to extend it to cover the entire field
of concrete technology and use.
The history of The Concrete Society is embraced in the words
of our second President, P. F. Stott, that appeared in
the Society's first annual report in 1967. An extract
follows:
‘This first formal report of The Concrete Society is an occasion
for more than simply reviewing The Society's activities
during the year and a half following its incorporation.
It is an opportunity, also, for assessing the considerations
that brought The Society into being initially, and its
success in meeting the needs it was set up to serve.
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That there was a need for a single organisation embracing
the interests of all those concerned with concrete,
there can now be no doubt whatsoever. The rapid growth
in membership since The Society's formal inauguration
- even allowing for the fact that the initial membership
was to some extent 'ready-made' by the four predecessor
organisations - has been solid proof of that.
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Nor can there be much question that The Society is meeting
the needs of most of its members: the number and scope
of The Society's activities - meetings, visits and publications
- is impressive by any standards, let alone in so relatively
young an organisation.
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I say ‘young’ but The Concrete Society did not
of course spring full-blown out of thin air: what it
has accomplished during the period covered by this report
could never have been accomplished if it were not for
the solid foundation laid down by the Reinforced Concrete
Association through many years and more recently by
the Prestressed Concrete Development Group, the Pavings
Development Group and the Formwork Development Group.
This first annual report of The Concrete Society is
a fitting place to pay tribute to the officers and members
of those organisations not only for what they have accomplished
in the past but also for the indispensable role they
have played in The Society's formation and early life.
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Nor would it be proper to present this report without paying
tribute to our first President, Sir Frederick Snow,
and to those who served on The Society's Council and
its various committees during those formative months.
Credit is due, as well, to the members of The Society's
secretariat and honorary branch secretaries and treasurers
without those efforts - largely "behind the scenes"
- the achievements of The Society's first eighteen months
of formal existence would have been impossible.
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In this first report it seems appropriate to review, in
somewhat more detail than might otherwise be required,
the origin and structure of The Society. To many members
the information will be familiar; to others and to future
members it will serve as a useful background to The
Society's activities.
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The Society's organisational structure is no static thing:
it cannot be and it should not be. The period under
review has already seen a major reorganisation of The
Society's divisional and standing committees into a
structure more closely geared to the needs and interests
of the membership. There will doubtless be further changes
indeed some have already taken place since the close
of the period covered by this report - but these changes
will always be based on one overriding consideration:
to serve The Society's members, and the industry they
represent, better.
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Nor is this first annual report an occasion for excessive
self-congratulation. What has been accomplished in this
short period is impressive, and just cause for pride.
But this first full year has been more than that: it
has indicated the scope and challenge for The Society
as a leader of development in the construction industry,
and pointed the way toward constantly expanding service
in that role.’
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40 years later, The Society still embodies the founding principles and traditions of its formative years, but dynamically continues to re-invent
and re-appriase its role to ensure compatibility with the changing needs of its membership and the wider construction community.
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