History of IPHA

Early Use of Concrete

Buildings such as the Pantheon, built c. 126 AD by the Romans, show early use of concrete structures and their durability.

Portland Cement

Joseph Aspdin (1778-1855) files patent for the world’s first Portland cement, named after its resemblance to Portland stone.

Iron Reinforced Concrete

French engineer François Coignet (1814-1888) builds the first structure using iron-reinforced concrete, a four-story house near Paris, which still stands today.

Early Prefabrication

City engineer of Liverpool, John Alexander Brodie (1858-1934) experiments with the use of prefabricated concrete wall panels as a solution for housing.

Early Precast Flooring

Concrete Ltd. (later to be renamed Bison Concrete) is founded, and begins making reinforced precast floors at its factory in Stourton, Leeds.

Prestressing

French structural and civil engineer, Eugène Freyssinet (1879-1962), files a patent for his prestressing techniques. He develops systems for anchorage and the use of high-strength steel wire.

Hollowcore Slabs

Concrete Ltd. are producing hollowcore slabs in wet cast concrete moulds. This is revolutionised by the introduction of withdrawable pneumatic cores, used to form the voids.

Machine Casting

Mechanisation and standardisation have revolutionised industry. A Hungarian, Henry Nagy, buys a hollowcore machine from a German inventor, and Spancrete begin long-line casting in the US.

Spiroll Extrusion Process Invented

Spiroll hollowcore extruder invented by Glen C. Booth, of Building Products and Coal Ltd., in Winnipeg, Canada.

Spiroll International Office Opened

Spiroll open an office in London to facilitate the sale of machinery around the world.

International Spiroll Producers Association (ISPA) Founded

Seven Spiroll producers from seven different countries found ISPA, in order to promote the exchange of knowledge.

Spiroll Operates Entirely out of UK

Spiroll International purchases manufacturing rights and trademark. Other extruder manufacturers such as Weiler (Germany) and Partek (Finland) continue development of the market.

International Extruded Concrete Association (IECA)

The remit of the organisation is expanded to include manufacturers using other extruders. Meanwhile, other machines are developed using the slipform method, such as Prensoland (Spain), Nordimpianti (Italy) and Echo (Belgium).

International Prestressed Hollowcore Association (IPHA) is formed.

At the 7th annual IECA conference in Malta, Terry Treanor and Tony Crane (Bison) deliver a presentation, and the decision is made to expand the organisation to include slipform manufacturers.

The First IPHA Annual Conference is Held.

Hosted by Bison Concrete in Stratford-upon-Avon, it coincides with Bison’s 75th anniversary.

7th IPHA Annual Conference

IPHA’s annual conference is held in Florida, in cooperation with the Prestressed/Precast Concrete Institute of the USA.

Inaugural Terry Treanor Award

Following the death of IPHA Chairman Terry Treanor in 2003, an award for innovations within hollowcore is inaugurated in his honour.

IPHA Logo Redesign and Promotional Video

Rebranding and Website Development

50th Anniversary

Marking 50 years from the formation of ISPA, IPHA commissions a written history of the organisation, and a new website is launched.