Eugène Freyssinet’s outstanding achievement lies in the invention of prestressed concrete. He had the idea at the beginning of the 20th century, in 1928 the process was patented and Freyssinet began to use the new technology for the first time in the construction of a structure in the port of Le Havre.
Freyssinet studied at the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris and the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussees. From 1905 to 1914, he worked in civil road construction. During this time, he was mainly involved in the design and construction of long-span arch bridges. During World War I, he worked as an engineer for the Army. In addition to this activity, between 1914 and 1929 he was technical director of the steel-concrete company Limousin & Cie.
The hallmark of Freyssinet’s work is that the aesthetic quality of his structures derives from the tension between the effect of the material on the one hand, and the technical possibilities taken to the limits of his time on the other.