SESSION 36

 

• ​Technical Sessions

• Product Spotlight - CalPortland

• Product Spotlight - Giatec Scientific, Inc.

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Moving Towards a Sustainable and Fire Resilient Built Environment (SAFR-BE)

Description: Climate conditions are changing, weather events are becoming more extreme, and there are significant efforts to move the construction sector to be more sustainable and resilient. For some, sustainability and resilience are linked, with resilience considered an attribute of sustainability. However, this is not universal, and others view sustainability and resilience as independent concepts, tending to focus on one attribute or the other as ‘the’ key issue. When the latter perspective is dominant, the outcome can be unintended consequences. This has been observed in the built environment, where sustainability attributes that are integrated into buildings, without consideration of fire resilience, set up the potential for unintended fire risks and hazards. To facilitate joined up thinking around sustainability and fire resilience, the concept of Sustainable and Fire Resilience Built Environments (SAFR-BE) has been developed. The intent of the SAFR-BE concept is to explore how buildings, infrastructure and communities can become more sustainable and fire resilient. As a first step move beyond concept toward a more integrated, holistic tool to aid in the design of sustainable and fire resilient buildings (SAFR-B), research supported by the SFPE Foundation developed a first-order decision framework and applied it to a midrise apartment building. The SAFR-B framework is built on an analysis of design and regulatory objectives for fire safety and sustainability for buildings, and of risk and decision methods that can support design decisions. It makes use of risk indexing and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), with initial scoring and weighting of attributes and strategies derived from international experts in the field of fire safety and sustainability through a Delphi process. Subsequent to that work, the UL Fire safety Research Institute has awarded a 3-year, $1 Million contract to Lund University to expand research in this area.

 

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify types of fire hazards and risks associated with sustainable building attributes. 

2. Understand better how sustainability and fire safety objectives might be in competition and how this can be resolved. 

3. Learn how the sustainable and fire resilient building (SAFR-B) decision framework was developed and how it works. 

4. Learn through example how application of the integrated risk and performance assessment framework can help identify problems and appropriate mitigation strategies. 

Presented by: Brian J. Meacham, PhD, PE (CT&MA), EUR ING, CEng (UK), FIFireE, FSFPE

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Brian is Managing Principal of Meacham Associates, Shrewsbury, MA and Adjunct Professor in Fire Safety Engineering at Lund University, Sweden. He develops risk-informed performance-based solutions to complex building, infrastructure and fire safety management challenges, provides peer-review services, and conducts building and fire regulatory system studies. He also undertakes research in these areas, as well as in sustainable and fire resilient built environments, fire safety technologies and sociotechnical systems approaches. Brian has served in many leadership roles in the fire, life safety and regulatory arenas. He is currently Chair of the Code Development Committee for the ICC Performance Code, Immediate Past Chair and Trustee of the International Association for Fire Safety Science (IAFSS), Member of the Research Advisory Board of the UL Fire Safety Research Institute (ULFSRI), a Past President of the SFPE, and a Past Chair of the NFPA Technical Committee on Fire Risk Assessment Methods. He is a licensed PE in Connecticut and Massachusetts, a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Fire Engineers (UK), a registered European Engineer (EUR ING), a Fellow of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, a Fulbright Global Scholar, and a Fulbright Specialist.

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​Investigating ICF Wall Construction Meeting the Requirements of NFPA 285

Description: Exterior walls play a critical role in building appearance as well as sustainability and energy performance. However, combustible components of exterior walls pose a significant risk to fire safety as they contribute to fire spread, causing fires to grow in intensity. The risks posed to life safety have been under significant focus following high profile, large loss fatal building façade fires such as Grenfell Tower, and continue to be scrutinized following the more recent fatal apartment fire in Valencia.  
The International Building Code requires exterior wall assemblies with combustible cladding, insulation, or other materials in some buildings meet specific provisions for limiting vertical and lateral flame propagation by meeting NFPA 285 compliance criteria. Recent updates to these codes allow engineering analysis to confirm compliance.
Insulating Concrete Form walls combine reinforced concrete for strength and durability and expanded polystyrene insulation for energy efficiency. ICFs differ from traditional concrete construction; the forms remain in place after the concrete is cured to provide thermal insulation. The EPS insulation means these walls include combustible components. 
This presentation reviews the development of NFPA 285 as well as a case study involving testing and engineering analysis of ICF wall assemblies to demonstrate compliance with updated code requirements for fire safety.

 

Learning Objectives:
1.    Understand what ICFs are and how they are being used in building construction
2.    Review historical development of NFPA 285.
3.    Discuss recent changes to the NFPA 285 test standard, particularly the new Annex B
4.    Discuss testing and analysis of two unique ICF wall constructions and analysis

Presented by: Shamim Rashid-Sumar, PE, FSFPE, Senior Vice President, Codes and Standards, NRMCA
 

Ms. Rashid-Sumar is Senior Vice President, Codes and Standards for the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association. Based in New York, she works with National Model Building Codes and Standards organizations to advocate for resilience and sustainability through non-combustible construction and provides technical support regarding codes, standards, regulations and legislation at the national, state, and local level.  
Ms. Rashid-Sumar holds a Bachelor of Science in Fire Protection Engineering from the University of Maryland College Park. Shamim is a Fellow of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers and a member of the SFPE Board of Directors, where she currently serves as President-Elect.  
Shamim is a principal member of several NFPA Technical Committees, including Structures, Construction, Materials, Fire Tests, and Residential Occupancies. She is also a member of the ACI 216 Committee on Fire Resistance and Fire Protection of Structures, ACI 560 Committee on Design and Construction with Insulating Concrete Forms, ASTM E05 Committee on Fire Standards, the ICC Performance Code, and the ICC Multi-Hazard Resiliency for Residential Construction Committee. Shamim currently serves as President of the Alliance for Concrete Codes and Standards.

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LECC (Low-Embodied Carbon Concrete) using SCM’s and Blended Cements

Description: Learn how to reduce the carbon footprint of concrete without sacrificing performance. This presentation will explain how supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) and blended cements can be used to design and deliver low-embodied carbon concrete mixtures for a range of applications. Presenters will cover key concepts, mix design considerations, performance implications, and practical specification tips for owners, designers, and contractors. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to incorporate LECC into projects today while meeting durability, strength, and code requirements.

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Presented by: Lauro Rivas, P.E., VP Technical Services – Materials Group, CalPortland Company
 

Lauro Rivas has been in the Construction Materials Supplier/Testing industry for over 25 years, currently 12 years with CalPortland. He has been part of designing concrete mixtures for various critical applications/projects which include Army Corps of Engineers, DOT, High Performance Concrete, FAA, Mass Concrete, High Density Concrete, Lightweight Concrete, Pervious Concrete. He has a Civil Engineering Degree from ASU and is a Registered Professional Engineer in the state of Arizona.

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Giatec MixPilot™: The New Standard for In-Transit Visibility

Description: Discover how Giatec's MixPilot™, the world's first, non-invasive, self-calibrating, in-transit slump sensor advances modern concrete production by monitoring slump, temperature, and volume from plant to pour in real-time. This session will showcase how MixPilot helps ready mix producers ensure consistent concrete quality, reduce rejected loads, and enhance operational efficiency with real-time visibility and insights.

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Presented by: Kyle Gysemans, Technical Sales Executive - Giatec Scientific

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