Robert maillart and the mushroom slab

Robert Maillart was a French engineer who developed an innovative reinforced concrete construction method that consisted of a beamless slab, called the mushroom slab. The columns were articulated to the ceiling by the increasing thickening that resembled a mushroom, thus creating the equivalent of a modern capitel. This system was more economical than the traditional system with primary and secondary beams, using less reinforced concrete and eliminating all the unnecessary details from the building and opening up the spans.