The Belgian Company Blaton: From the Trade of Cement to the International Promotion of Prestressed Concrete, 1865–1954

This chapter analyses the history of the development of the Belgian construction company Blaton, from its foundation in 1865 until 1954. Throughout this period, the company was managed by family members and remained under family control. This analysis is based on an examination of company archives that became available for research in 2013 for the period up to about 1954. From trading in building materials - and in particular artificial cement - in 1865, the company began to build reinforced concrete constructions in 1897. As of the beginning of the 20th century, Blaton became one of the most... Mehr ...