LEARNING CENTER
Bring practitioners, researchers and policy makers together to exchange the latest innovations for sustainable concrete design, construction and manufacturing. View schedule.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
Each session offers AIA Continuing Education and Professional Development Hours. Complete the form provided for each session to receive credits.
AWARD PROGRAM
Recognizes outstanding achievements in concrete performance and sustainability. See award winners.
SCHEDULE FOR UPCOMING SESSIONS
Tentative schedule. All time are shown in U.S. eastern time zone.
2024
CONCRETE INNOVATIONS AWARDS
The NRMCA Concrete Innovations Award Program recognizes outstanding achievement in concrete design and construction. Innovative projects that demonstrate outstanding achievements in performance while lowering environmental impacts including embodied and operational carbon footprint are awarded. Award winners were announced on March 12 and were presented at Concrete Innovations Session 19. Visit On-demand to view the award presentation. Winners will be presented with their awards at several NRMCA events throughout 2024.
AUG 21
11:00-13:00
SESSION 23 - MEASURING PERFORMANCE
Pushing the Boundaries on Low Carbon Concrete at SFO
Frances Yang, Structures and Sustainability Specialist, Arup
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has often leveraged its unique integrated design approach to push project teams to employ low carbon solutions at the cutting edge. As one of the first projects in the nation to specify GWP limits in the concrete specifications for Harvey Milk Terminal 1, they have also poured test slabs with carbon sequestering aggregate and updated the concrete requirements in their campus-wide design and construction standards with aggressive GWP targets. This presentation will share the evolution of SFO’s requirements for low carbon concrete and approach to implementation.
Product Spotlight - Master Builders Solutions
Delivering Superior Concrete Handling: The Innovative Admixture Contractors Want
Serpil Boy Aral, Product Marketing Manager, Master Builders Solutions
From alternative concrete constituents to stricter specifications, rapid changes in the construction industry have caused fresh concrete handling to be increasingly challenging. Contractors desperately need a solution for their pumping, placing, consolidation, and finishing problems. Thanks to a novel, innovative admixture by Master Builders Solutions - MasterEase 5000 - a water-reducing, conditioning admixture, ready mix producers can now deliver concrete with superior handling characteristics.
Product Spotlight - Concrete Sustainability Council
Low-Carbon Construction with CSC Certified Concrete
Christian Artelt, Heidelberg Materials and Michael Scharpf, Holcim
Concrete carrying the Concrete Sustainability Council’s “CSC”-certification label provides assurance that its production meets stringent environmental, social, management and economic sustainability criteria. CSC-certified concrete supports responsible sourcing of materials, efficient use of resources, recognizes the use of recycled materials and supports the reduction of carbon emissions. Choosing CSC-certified concrete demonstrates a leading commitment to sustainable construction practices and contributes to the development of environmentally friendly buildings and infrastructure.
The Concrete Industry Progress Towards Carbon Neutrality
Lionel Lemay, Executive Vice President, Structures and Sustainability, NRMCA
In 2011, NRMCA set a goal for reducing concrete’s embodied carbon footprint by 50% by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 to align with Architecture 2030 Challenge. NRMCA helped published the first PCR for Concrete and became an EPD Program Operator for concrete and constituent materials; helped develop and verify two on‐demand EPD tools for concrete; and published the first Industry‐Wide EPD (IW EPD) and Benchmarks at the national level and for eight multi‐state regions for nine classes of concrete. This presentation will provide an update to NRMCA's carbon reduction programs and the tools available for concrete producers and design professionals to measure carbon footprint of concrete and concrete products.
SEP 18
11:00-13:00
SESSION 24: LEVERAGING DATA
EPA's ENERGY STAR Energy Management Program Helps Manufacturers Reduce Their Carbon Footprint and Save Money
Betsy Dutrow, Manager of ENERGY STAR Industrial Partnerships, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Ensuring plant operations consume just the right amount of energy to do the job is a primary way to reduce electricity and fuel use in concrete manufacturing. Learn about new benchmarking strategies, tools, energy management training and support for manufacturers seeking to reduce the carbon footprint of their operations and impact the embodied carbon of their products through ENERGY STAR’s new Industrial Assistance Network.
Product Spotlight - CarbonCure Technologies
Making Data Driven Decisions
Brad Vickers, Head of Product Engineering at CarbonCure Technologies
This presentation will review opportunities to encourage a culture of data-driven decision making across all levels of the organization. Brad will review data analytics tools to identify opportunities for cost savings, operational efficiencies, and strategic investments as well as mix design optimization and effective materials management.
Product Spotlight - Giatec Scientific
Giatec Smartmix: Bringing Artificial Intelligence from Theory to Monetization
Product Spotlight - WAP Sustainability and GCCA
Leveraging LCA Data in an Organization
James Salazar, Director of Sustainability, WAP Sustainability
This session will delve into how organizations can harness Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) data to boost operational efficiency and support sustainability efforts. It will explore the use of LCA as a research tool for product development, highlighting how one can use LCA to consider environmental variables across the supply chain. Additionally, the session will discuss creating Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) at scale, emphasizing the need for both product-specific and plant-specific EPDs to enhance procurement processes. The importance of digital EPD data flows from producers to purchasers and verifiers will also be addressed, underscoring the role of efficient data transfer in achieving sustainability goals. Participants will be introduced to software and services designed to streamline data flows and tackle bottlenecks. The session will offer practical tools for procurement and verification, helping to overcome internal and external challenges.
OCT 16
11:00-13:00
SESSION 25
Action Steps Towards Low-Carbon Concrete
Logan Kelley, Senior Associate, Mithun
Concrete is both an invaluable tool for resilient and durable buildings, and the single greatest source embodied carbon in new construction. To bring down the construction industry's global warming potential, designers, owners, and contractors must rethink the typical concrete specification process in order to achieve a balance of performance, cost, constructability, and embodied carbon. By championing collaboration and early goal setting, projects can achieve dramatic reductions in their global warming footprint utilizing appropriate specifications, new technologies, and local market realities. Join Logan Kelley from Mithun as he gives an overview of current strategies and case studies including the award winning 681 Florida Street affordable housing project in San Francisco.
Product Spotlight - American Society of Concrete Contractors
Product Spotlight - Climate Earth
NOV 20
11:00-13:00
SESSION 26
Technical Session TBD
Product Spotlight - Heidelberg Materials
Product Spotlight - CalPortland
Product Spotlight - WAP Sustainability and GCCA
James Salazar, Director of Sustainability, WAP Sustainability
Andrew Minson, Director of Concrete And Sustainable Construction, GCCA
This session will provide an in-depth look at the regulatory landscape and support mechanisms for low carbon procurement through Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). It will discuss the importance of benchmarking and procurement baselines and provide updates on various green procurement schemes and their structures for North America and internationally. For North America, the session will cover federal initiatives such as those by the EPA, GSA, and FHWA. Participants will receive updates on funding mechanisms supporting manufacturers, including the Low Carbon Transportation Materials (LCTM) program and the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) EPD assistance grants. It will also cover international initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions highlighting collaborative efforts of the GCCA and the United Nation's Industrial Deep Carbonisation Initiative (IDDI) in developing proposals for setting emission bands and defining low carbon concrete.
DEC 18
11:00-13:00
SESSION 27 - INNOVATIVE CEMENTITIOUS MATERIALS
Towards Innovative Cementitious Materials
Larry Sutter, Professor Emeritus and Research Professor, Materials Science and Engineering, Michigan Tech
Several innovative cementitious materials are entering the market to support low carbon concrete initiatives. Users should be assured that these materials can produce the required concrete properties. This presentation will discuss some of the types of materials and efforts to develop standards to evaluate and permit their use. The talk will also cover ongoing research, demonstration projects, and federal funding for new cementitious materials.
Product Spotlight TBD
Product Spotlight TBD
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