This is correct.

Concrete performs poorly under tension. Steel reinforcement is added to improve it's tensile performance.

This can be a problem for structural longevity. The water which is trapped in concrete will eventually rust the steel. Steel expands when it rusts, and applies tensile forces to the concrete, and damages it from within.

So, I doubt that the support columns were encased in steel. The architects/engineers would easily identify this failure mode, and
Unless it was intentionally designed in (which is unlikely).

The concrete foundation is almost certainly reinforced concrete, as it should only see compression force.