François Benjamin Joseph Hennebique (Neuville-Saint-Vaast, April 25, 1842-Paris, March 7, 1921) was a French architect and pioneer of reinforced concrete. Without any technical training, he built a veritable concrete empire. He created one of the earliest engineering offices, first in Brussels and later in Paris. Through a network of agents and concessionaires, he was active worldwide. Thanks to this sophisticated strategy, he outstripped competitors such as Edmond Coignet and Paul Cottancin. Until World War I, almost all armaments in many countries were according to the "system-Hennebique. This was a typical practical invention, for which the theoretical framework followed only later with the work of Paul Christophe (1899). Life Cycle 1860: The farmer's son Hennebique becomes a mason carpenter in Arras and later Lille. 1865: Hennebique crosses the border and settles as a contractor in Courtrai. Among other things, he participates in the reconstruction of the burned spire of St. Martin's Church. 1867: Establishment of his office-atelier in Brussels, Ninoofsesteenweg 220. 1868: Marriage to the printer's daughter Emma Gernaey (Kortrijk, June 12). 1878: Patent on prefabricated floor elements. Façade of the Belgian pavilion at the Paris World's Fair. 1879: Hennebique uses concrete for the first time in a villa at Mendonk as fire protection. 1886: Patent on a concrete floor with hollow iron bars. 1887: Design of a 300-meter high wooden tower for the Brussels World's Fair (with Eugène Nève and Léon Govaerts, not realized). 1889: First applications of the patent (non-combustible floorboards for villas at Lombardsijde and Nieuwpoort). 1892: Key patent on reinforced beam (monolithic structures) in Belgium (February) and in France (August 8). Issue of the first brochure, with the slogan "Plus d' incendies désastreux" (later to be found on every plan). 1893: Brief association with industrialist J.J. Septon. Complementary patent on the bracket element (Aug. 7). 1894: First illustrated annual review of Hennebique's projects. Establishment of an office in Paris. 1897: The 55-year-old Hennebique moves to Paris, engineer Flamant takes over management of the Brussels office. First of a series of annual congresses on concrete (until 1906). Complementary patent on the continuous beam (Dec. 18). 1898: Quits his contracting business and starts as a consultant (engineering office) for a network of reliable contractors (quality guarantee to the outside world and internal flexibility). First appearance of "Le béton armé" (June 1), a magazine published by Hennebique with commercial intentions. The magazine would be published until August 1, 1939. 1899: Renovation of the Paris headquarters (Bureau Central in Rue Danton). Successful fire resistance test on a pavilion of the Provincial Exhibition in Ghent. 1900: Strong presence at the Exposition universelle in Paris. Consecration of reinforced concrete as a construction method. 1903: Belgian beam patent annulled (priority to Monier). Collapse of a Hennebique realization in Switzerland. 1906: Patent nullity upheld by the Court of Appeal (December). 1914: Interruption by World War I. The firm handled about 60,000 projects at that time. After the war, Hennebique's sons take over. 1921: Death of Hennebique. His firm Bétons Armés Hennebique (BAH) continues until 1967.