Over 100 schools across England have been ordered to close because they were built in the 20th century with materials that are suddenly catastrophically failing, with potentially fatal consequences.
Traditionalists know certain materials and techniques have persisted through the ages because they have been proven effective and reliable, but a rush for progress in the 20th century saw new techniques and wonder materials that were thought to be cheaper and easier to work with substituted instead. One consequence of this brave new world of architecture is the now better-understood limited lifespan and intrinsic weaknesses of certain types of concrete, which is believed to be present in hundreds of schools in the United Kingdom.
The British government ordered 104 schools to close on Thursday — just days before children are due to go back for a new academic year — over the risk…
