Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie is located 5 km north of Uzès and 30 km north of the city of Nîmes. Monier was one of the ten children of a family of horticulturists in the service of the Duke of Uzès. All hands were useful in the field, so Monier was not immediately sent to school. At 17, he had already proven himself as a gardener, so the duke offered him a position in his Paris mansion. Monier had the opportunity to attend night classes, and there he learned to read and write. When the Duke's friends began to ask him for advice, his horizons broadened and he began to make high-level contacts, which would ultimately define his career going forward. In 1846 he left the position with the duke, to take up a position in the Tuileries Gardens, near the Louvre. Monier became responsible for the greenhouse. He began looking for a more durable way to contain orange trees, which were moved from outside to inside greenhouses during the winter. Monier began making them with concrete (a mixture of sand, ash and crushed refractory bricks) and reinforced them with a grid of iron rods. At that time there was already a widespread notion that the thermal expansion and contraction of embedded iron would break concrete. However Monier spent a few years experimenting with his containers to prove that this was not the case.

At a time when municipal water supply systems had not yet been established, Monier realized that his containers could be used for the collection and storage of water for gardens. He continued his education with courses in horticulture and landscape gardening. In 1849, without leaving his position in the Tuileries, he opened a small workshop and began to undertake landscaping projects. These took him to places as far away as Strasbourg. The fashion at that time was to decorate large gardens with rockeries and grottoes and form them from simple concrete. For greater economy, he formed hollow artificial boulders from his ferrocement (French: "ciment et fer"). He also created small garden pavilions, shaping and carving the concrete surface to imitate the rustic wooden originals. In July 1867 he presented his ideas at the second International Exhibition in Paris (Exposition Universelle). That same month he applied for his first patent for containers, which was granted with number 77165. Shortly after, he applied for an addition to cover pipes and another for ornamental pools. Their projects included a 20 cubic meter warehouse and a terrace roof. In 1869, his establishment included offices, workshops and greenhouses, as well as stables for eight draft horses and three carriage horses. In September of that year he applied for a patent for panels suitable for cladding buildings and for use as paving stones and tiles.

In 1870 he suffered a great setback. Napoleon III had declared war on Prussia with disastrous results. Paris was under siege for 4 months and in December, hungry citizens invaded Monier's property and took everything edible, including the horses. Their caretaker died trying to resist them. In January 1871, Prussian bombardment ruined what remained. Monier and his family endured through the severe winter. Although peace was declared in March, the citizens of Paris refused to budge. Monier and his workers began to rebuild the business under the rigors of the Commune.

When life returned to normal, business flourished. Monier's reputation spread mainly by word of mouth. He built a large number of reserve tanks in this period. Although many were small, a tank at Bougival (1872) with a domed roof had a volume of 130 cubic meters. Two tanks of 1000 cubic meters each were built in what is now Bruyères à Sèvres. The two-story warehouse in Pessac has a 10 cubic meter tank perched above a 20 cubic meter tank, the supporting columns shaped like tree trunks.

Monier was careful to check in with customers after a few years, to make sure his products had worked well and to get testimonials. His clients included Alphonse de Rothschild, Baron Max de Springer and Monsieur Tapinart, Marquis de Tillière. Most of his projects were concentrated in the west of Paris, where he lived, and especially around the town of Neuilly.

In 1873, Monier applied for an addition to patent 77165 to cover bridges, and in 1875 he built his first bridge for the Marquis de Tillière. It extends 14 meters across the castle moat. The beams are integrated into the slab, and the railings are rustic in style, imitating wood, a decorative technique described today by the term: faux bois (French for "fake wood").

Around 1875, Monier built a staircase leading to the offices above his workshop and applied for a patent to cover this form of construction. Another application in 1878 covered reinforced concrete railway sleepers. When granted, this became the basis for a number of further additions. It contained a clear statement that the cement protected the iron against rust. An application in 1878 related to reinforced concrete T-beams.

As municipalities expanded their water supply and sewer networks, there was an increasing need for pipes, but a decreased need for reserve tanks. Monier was forced to move away from urban areas in search of clients. In 1886 he was granted patent 175513 for a system applicable to housing. The technique is recorded in photographs of a demonstration house shown under construction; finished; and in the process of demolition. Monier described the house as earthquake-, ice-, moisture-, heat- and fire-proof and received a commission to build such a house in Nice, possibly as a result of a recent earthquake. Paul, Monier's second son, asked to work on this project. On November 24, 1887, Paul died after falling from the scaffolding. As Monier's eldest son, Pierre, had broken off his relationship with his father over a family argument, Joseph found himself without working-age children to help him in the business.

In June 1888 the company "J Monier constructeur" was declared bankrupt and in April 1889 it went into liquidation. However, in 1890 he formed a new firm: "L'Entreprise générale de travaux en ciment J Monier". In 1891 another patent application arrived: conduits for telephone and electrical cables. Around this time, Monier built his last known project, a service warehouse for a Nursing Home in Clamart, donated by Marie de Ferrari, Duchess of Galliera (global coordinates 48.79756, 2.261623). The reservoir structure is 10 meters high and 8 meters in diameter. The floor of the tank is 8 cm thick and the roof is 5 cm thick. The exterior decoration was designed by architect Prosper Bobin in a neoclassical style. The reservoir still exists (2010).

After this, it appears that Joseph was at least semi-retired, living with his three older sisters and his second wife.

Monier's son Pierre moved to Noyon after breaking up with his father, established a family and entered the same line of business, under the name "Monier fils". He probably returned to Paris in 1889, where he exhibited at the Exposition of that year. The firm's projects included a reinforced concrete laundry building and piping for a wastewater treatment plant. Unfortunately, Pierre died prematurely, apparently before 1900, without reconciling with his father. In that year, a company was listed as "Société des travaux en ciment de La Plaine-Saint-Denis, ancienne maison Monier fils" (i.e. formerly "Monier fils"). Projects completed by this company include a partially buried deposit at Vimoutier; an iconic raised reservoir in the rustic style in Pontorson; the Cambodian Pavilion at the 1900 Exposition; and two elevated reservoirs at Boullaye-Mivoie and Fonville, with their associated pump house.

When he retired, Monier was harassed by bailiffs and by the tax office, which reasoned that he should have been receiving large commissions from his many foreign patents. He sought refuge in the house of his son Lucien, from his second wife. In 1902, several foreign companies that had benefited from his patents appealed to the President of France to grant him a pension, describing him as the inventor of reinforced concrete and as their "former master" (ancien maître). They opened a subscription for their benefit and contributions came from far away. A petition was later organized to be granted a position at a government tobacco kiosk. Monier expressed his gratitude for these efforts in a letter published in the magazine "Le Ciment" in 1902. He died on March 13, 1906 and was buried in the municipal cemetery of Billancourt. The "Société des travaux en ciment" was still in operation in that year, when it exhibited at the Paris Exhibition.

From the 1890s patents were obtained in the name of Wayss in Australia. Initially, the main products were pipes and arch structures using the Monier system as refined by Wayss and his colleagues. The White's Creek and Johnston's Creek aqueducts are the first reinforced arch structures in Australia. They were built by companies associated with Frank Moorhouse Gummow and the design engineer William (Wilhelm) Julius Baltzer in 1897/8. [3].

Monier pipes produced by Gummow Forrest & Co, joined end to end, were used as tubular foundations for several bridges built by the New South Wales Department of Public Works, the first over Cockle Creek near Newcastle. [4] [5] Joseph's name was perpetuated by Monier Pipe Company of Melbourne, and its successor, Monier Pipe & Reinforced Concrete Construction Company. The engineer of these companies was (Sir) John Monash. About 20 Monier arch bridges were built in Victoria. Monier took out patents in many countries, throughout Europe and abroad. Some of these were registered in the name of the patent agent, according to local law, the British patent of 1883 being in the name of John Imray. Typically, patents were valid for 15 years, but a significant annual cost was required to maintain them. Monier opted to sell his rights outside France to local businessmen and engineers for a lump sum payment.

The name Monier was widely publicized through the work of Gustav Adolf Wayss (1851–1917). Wayss gained control of the Monier patents throughout Germany and Austria through a purchase and merger process, and promoted the technique as "Das Sistema Monier" or "Monierbau". The science and mathematics search for reinforced concrete structures progressed rapidly in the last decade of the century. The main collaborators working under the Monierbau banner were Matthias Koenen and Emil Mörsch. Work was initially concentrated on arch bridges, and only later extended to buildings.

Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie is located 5 km north of Uzès and 30 km north of the city of Nîmes. Monier was one of the ten children of a family of horticulturists in the service of the Duke of Uzès. All hands were useful in the field, so Monier was not immediately sent to school. At 17, he had already proven himself as a gardener, so the duke offered him a position in his Paris mansion. Monier had the opportunity to attend night classes, and there he learned to read and write. When the Duke's friends began to ask him for advice, his horizons broadened and he began to make high-level contacts, which would ultimately define his career going forward. In 1846 he left the position with the duke, to take up a position in the Tuileries Gardens, near the Louvre. Monier became responsible for the greenhouse. He began looking for a more durable way to contain orange trees, which were moved from outside to inside greenhouses during the winter. Monier began making them with concrete (a mixture of sand, ash and crushed refractory bricks) and reinforced them with a grid of iron rods. At that time there was already a widespread notion that the thermal expansion and contraction of embedded iron would break concrete. However Monier spent a few years experimenting with his containers to prove that this was not the case.

At a time when municipal water supply systems had not yet been established, Monier realized that his containers could be used for the collection and storage of water for gardens. He continued his education with courses in horticulture and landscape gardening. In 1849, without leaving his position in the Tuileries, he opened a small workshop and began to undertake landscaping projects. These took him to places as far away as Strasbourg. The fashion at that time was to decorate large gardens with rockeries and grottoes and form them from simple concrete. For greater economy, he formed hollow artificial boulders from his ferrocement (French: "ciment et fer"). He also created small garden pavilions, shaping and carving the concrete surface to imitate the rustic wooden originals. In July 1867 he presented his ideas at the second International Exhibition in Paris (Exposition Universelle). That same month he applied for his first patent for containers, which was granted with number 77165. Shortly after, he applied for an addition to cover pipes and another for ornamental pools. Their projects included a 20 cubic meter warehouse and a terrace roof. In 1869, his establishment included offices, workshops and greenhouses, as well as stables for eight draft horses and three carriage horses. In September of that year he applied for a patent for panels suitable for cladding buildings and for use as paving stones and tiles.

In 1870 he suffered a great setback. Napoleon III had declared war on Prussia with disastrous results. Paris was under siege for 4 months and in December, hungry citizens invaded Monier's property and took everything edible, including the horses. Their caretaker died trying to resist them. In January 1871, Prussian bombardment ruined what remained. Monier and his family endured through the severe winter. Although peace was declared in March, the citizens of Paris refused to budge. Monier and his workers began to rebuild the business under the rigors of the Commune.

When life returned to normal, business flourished. Monier's reputation spread mainly by word of mouth. He built a large number of reserve tanks in this period. Although many were small, a tank at Bougival (1872) with a domed roof had a volume of 130 cubic meters. Two tanks of 1000 cubic meters each were built in what is now Bruyères à Sèvres. The two-story warehouse in Pessac has a 10 cubic meter tank perched above a 20 cubic meter tank, the supporting columns shaped like tree trunks.

Monier was careful to check in with customers after a few years, to make sure his products had worked well and to get testimonials. His clients included Alphonse de Rothschild, Baron Max de Springer and Monsieur Tapinart, Marquis de Tillière. Most of his projects were concentrated in the west of Paris, where he lived, and especially around the town of Neuilly.

In 1873, Monier applied for an addition to patent 77165 to cover bridges, and in 1875 he built his first bridge for the Marquis de Tillière. It extends 14 meters across the castle moat. The beams are integrated into the slab, and the railings are rustic in style, imitating wood, a decorative technique described today by the term: faux bois (French for "fake wood").

Around 1875, Monier built a staircase leading to the offices above his workshop and applied for a patent to cover this form of construction. Another application in 1878 covered reinforced concrete railway sleepers. When granted, this became the basis for a number of further additions. It contained a clear statement that the cement protected the iron against rust. An application in 1878 related to reinforced concrete T-beams.

As municipalities expanded their water supply and sewer networks, there was an increasing need for pipes, but a decreased need for reserve tanks. Monier was forced to move away from urban areas in search of clients. In 1886 he was granted patent 175513 for a system applicable to housing. The technique is recorded in photographs of a demonstration house shown under construction; finished; and in the process of demolition. Monier described the house as earthquake-, ice-, moisture-, heat- and fire-proof and received a commission to build such a house in Nice, possibly as a result of a recent earthquake. Paul, Monier's second son, asked to work on this project. On November 24, 1887, Paul died after falling from the scaffolding. As Monier's eldest son, Pierre, had broken off his relationship with his father over a family argument, Joseph found himself without working-age children to help him in the business.

In June 1888 the company "J Monier constructeur" was declared bankrupt and in April 1889 it went into liquidation. However, in 1890 he formed a new firm: "L'Entreprise générale de travaux en ciment J Monier". In 1891 another patent application arrived: conduits for telephone and electrical cables. Around this time, Monier built his last known project, a service warehouse for a Nursing Home in Clamart, donated by Marie de Ferrari, Duchess of Galliera (global coordinates 48.79756, 2.261623). The reservoir structure is 10 meters high and 8 meters in diameter. The floor of the tank is 8 cm thick and the roof is 5 cm thick. The exterior decoration was designed by architect Prosper Bobin in a neoclassical style. The reservoir still exists (2010).

After this, it appears that Joseph was at least semi-retired, living with his three older sisters and his second wife.

Monier's son Pierre moved to Noyon after breaking up with his father, established a family and entered the same line of business, under the name "Monier fils". He probably returned to Paris in 1889, where he exhibited at the Exposition of that year. The firm's projects included a reinforced concrete laundry building and piping for a wastewater treatment plant. Unfortunately, Pierre died prematurely, apparently before 1900, without reconciling with his father. In that year, a company was listed as "Société des travaux en ciment de La Plaine-Saint-Denis, ancienne maison Monier fils" (i.e. formerly "Monier fils"). Projects completed by this company include a partially buried deposit at Vimoutier; an iconic raised reservoir in the rustic style in Pontorson; the Cambodian Pavilion at the 1900 Exposition; and two elevated reservoirs at Boullaye-Mivoie and Fonville, with their associated pump house.

When he retired, Monier was harassed by bailiffs and by the tax office, which reasoned that he should have been receiving large commissions from his many foreign patents. He sought refuge in the house of his son Lucien, from his second wife. In 1902, several foreign companies that had benefited from his patents appealed to the President of France to grant him a pension, describing him as the inventor of reinforced concrete and as their "former master" (ancien maître). They opened a subscription for their benefit and contributions came from far away. A petition was later organized to be granted a position at a government tobacco kiosk. Monier expressed his gratitude for these efforts in a letter published in the magazine "Le Ciment" in 1902. He died on March 13, 1906 and was buried in the municipal cemetery of Billancourt. The "Société des travaux en ciment" was still in operation in that year, when it exhibited at the Paris Exhibition.

From the 1890s patents were obtained in the name of Wayss in Australia. Initially, the main products were pipes and arch structures using the Monier system as refined by Wayss and his colleagues. The White's Creek and Johnston's Creek aqueducts are the first reinforced arch structures in Australia. They were built by companies associated with Frank Moorhouse Gummow and the design engineer William (Wilhelm) Julius Baltzer in 1897/8. [3].

Monier pipes produced by Gummow Forrest & Co, joined end to end, were used as tubular foundations for several bridges built by the New South Wales Department of Public Works, the first over Cockle Creek near Newcastle. [4] [5] Joseph's name was perpetuated by Monier Pipe Company of Melbourne, and its successor, Monier Pipe & Reinforced Concrete Construction Company. The engineer of these companies was (Sir) John Monash. About 20 Monier arch bridges were built in Victoria. Monier took out patents in many countries, throughout Europe and abroad. Some of these were registered in the name of the patent agent, according to local law, the British patent of 1883 being in the name of John Imray. Typically, patents were valid for 15 years, but a significant annual cost was required to maintain them. Monier opted to sell his rights outside France to local businessmen and engineers for a lump sum payment.

The name Monier was widely publicized through the work of Gustav Adolf Wayss (1851–1917). Wayss gained control of the Monier patents throughout Germany and Austria through a purchase and merger process, and promoted the technique as "Das Sistema Monier" or "Monierbau". The science and mathematics search for reinforced concrete structures progressed rapidly in the last decade of the century. The main collaborators working under the Monierbau banner were Matthias Koenen and Emil Mörsch. Work was initially concentrated on arch bridges, and only later extended to buildings.