Beams and Ring beams

 

That is part of a ring beam or armadura, it is a custom built concrete beam. There will be one on each wall of this section and they will be tied into the gable wall and the last secttion. 

The ring beams purpose is to support the beams and distribute the load also as a window is planned to be placed directly below one of the beams it will add support to the wall where the window aperture will be. Also a very good idea when state of the walls is not all that it should. Something often found in very old buildings.