On-demand | Concrete Innovations

LEARNING CENTER 2026 ON-DEMAND
Concrete Innovations Learning Center On-demand provides recordings and downloads for previously aired Learning Sessions on the latest innovations for sustainable concrete design, construction and manufacturing. Select a year for on-demand learning sessions:

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Each session of the Concrete Innovations Learning Center offers AIA Continuing Education and Professional Development Hours. Complete the form provided for each session to receive credits.

On-demand

SESSION 39: JUNE 17, 2026 | CONCRETE OPTIMIZATION WITH AI

CONTINUING EDUCATION CERTIFICATE (Coming Soon)

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Using BOxCrete to Optimize Concrete Mixtures with AI: From Open-Source Models to Data-Center Deployment | DOWNLOAD PRESENTATION

Dr. Nishant Garg, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Modern concrete must meet rising demands for strength, workability, durability, and sustainability, making mix optimization increasingly complex. Herein, AI models can be useful; however, they rely largely on proprietary industrial datasets and closed-source algorithms. This webinar presents BOxCrete - an open-source AI model developed jointly by Meta, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Amrize. It is trained on an open-access dataset containing 500+ strength measurements from 123 mortar and concrete mixes tested at five ages (1, 3, 5, 14, & 28 days) using materials sourced from a specific Minnesota data center project. Using Gaussian Process Regression and Bayesian Optimization, the model accurately forecasted strength development (R² = 0.94, RMSE = 0.69 ksi) while quantifying uncertainty. It also generated mixes with higher early strength and lower-CO₂ that were successfully deployed in floor slabs of Meta’s data center scheduled to open in 2026. Unlike many proprietary systems, this openly shared model + dataset gives concrete producers a free tool for strength prediction and mix optimization.

Achieving Color Consistency in Concrete | DOWNLOAD PRESENTATION

Christopher Roumie, Market Development Manager, Chryso North America

This presentation provides a practical overview of pigments for concrete, examining how pigment chemistry, particle form, dosage rates, and dispersion methods impact color uniformity, performance, and long-term durability. Participants will gain a clearer understanding of industry standards such as ASTM C979, along with best practices for using integral pigments in ready-mix, precast, and architectural concrete applications. The session also addresses common causes of color variation and how producers can achieve consistent, repeatable results across placements.

SESSION 38: MAY 20, 2026 | RESILIENCE AND DISASTER RISK REDUCTION

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ResilieNomics and Why Building Resilience Index will Change How we Build, Finance & Insure | DOWNLOAD PRESENTATION

Aris Papadopoulos, Founding Chair, Resilience Action Fund

The presentation will examine ResilieNomics and the International Finance Corp (IFC) Building Resilience Index (BRI), and discuss its current launch in developing countries and future use in the US. Discussion will include an analysis of how the index will advance above-code construction by increasing resilience transparency and aligning finance and insurance, how it will increase the use of resilient construction materials and methods, and what opportunities exist for building professionals to become BRI Assessors and Verifiers.

Resilient Design Collaborative | DOWNLOAD PRESENTATION

Steve Sunderman, President, Terrazia PC

Good project design is not just about creating beautiful buildings that meet code - it is about keeping businesses and communities functioning when hazards strike. Business and communities cannot achieve long-term sustainability if they are not also resilient. This presentation will provide insights into how disaster risk reduction supports operational continuity, examples of design strategies that reduce the risk of disasters and improve business outcomes, as well as strategies for planning and creating disaster resilient projects and sustainable communities.

BCMI and the Superworkforce: From Dispatch Tool to Autonomous Execution

Joe Carlson, Sales Executive XBE

Ready-mix dispatch has always been the highest-leverage decision point in the operation — and the most dependent on a single person's experience. In this session, Joe Carlson walks through how XBE's BCMI works as a system of action for ready-mix concrete, connecting dispatch, production, delivery, sales, and customer experience in one platform, and how the superworkforce capabilities recently launched within All-22 are turning dispatch plans into dispatch execution without manual intervention. All-22 simulates the full field and optimizes against the producer's own priorities — and its auto-ticketing capability autonomously creates tickets, assigns trucks, and closes deliveries based on the plan and real-time batch panel and fleet tracking signals, eliminating the manual ticket lifecycle that consumed dispatcher and plant operator time. Joe will also cover how Agent XBE extends the superworkforce further, answering operational questions, generating reports, and taking proactive action across the full breadth of BCMI's data — shifting the dispatcher's role from pulling every lever to strategic planning and exception handling.

SESSION 37: APRIL 15, 2026 | CONCRETE MATERIAL AGENCY

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Beyond Decarbonization: Concrete Material Agency and Multi-functionality

This presentation examines the evolution of sustainable design in the built environment—from operational carbon reduction to embodied carbon assessment and regenerative design. Participants will explore the concept of material agency, where building materials actively influence environmental performance, resilience, and long-term outcomes. Using case studies and emerging research, the course demonstrates how materials such as concrete can function as dynamic systems—contributing to energy performance, carbon reduction, durability, and lifecycle resilience. The session also introduces the role of structured data and digital tools (e.g., BIM, classification systems, and AI-enabled workflows) in supporting informed material selection and performance optimization. Participants will gain practical strategies to integrate low-carbon materials, circular economy principles, and regenerative design approaches into architectural practice to improve health, safety, and welfare outcomes.

Learning Objectives:

Describe the progression of sustainability frameworks from operational carbon (e.g., AIA 2030) to embodied carbon and regenerative design, and explain their impact on building performance and occupant well-being.
Evaluate the role of material selection in reducing embodied carbon, including the use of performance-based specifications and lifecycle assessment strategies.
Analyze how material properties influence building health, safety, and durability, including thermal performance, fire resistance, moisture control, and long-term resilience.
Apply principles of regenerative design and circular economy, including material reuse, urban mining, and design for disassembly, to improve environmental and community outcomes.
Explain how digital tools and structured data systems (e.g., BIM, MasterFormat®, UniFormat®, OmniClass®) support better decision-making, coordination, and lifecycle performance tracking.

Presented by:

Frank Mruk FAIA, CSI, RIBA, Senior Director, Building Innovations, NRMCA | DOWNLOAD PRESENTATION

Dr. Hessam AzariJafari, Research Scientist and Executive Director of the MIT Electron-Conducting Carbon-Cement-Based Materials Hub (ec^3-hub) | DOWNLOAD PRESENTATION

SESSION 40: JULY 15, 2026 | WHAT'S NEW IN CEMENT STANDARDS FOR 2026

CONTINUING EDUCATION CERTIFICATE (Coming Soon)

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What's New in Cement Standards for 2026 | DOWNLOAD PRESENTATION | DOWNLOAD RESOURCES

The cement and concrete industries continue to advance initiatives that improve the sustainability and resilience of concrete construction. Ongoing updates to cement standards can support those goals, such as the recently approved revisions to blended cement standards regarding changes to compositional requirements, including the introduction of a new cement type. Concrete producers, users, and specifiers who stay informed of the most recent technical requirements contained in cement standards will be well positioned to produce concretes with appropriate fresh and hardened properties and will be better able to evaluate current practices to determine if, when, and how to adjust those practices for optimum results.

Topics covered:

Evolution of US cement standards
Overview of cement standards C150/M 85, C595/M 240, C1157
Review of cement types, including the new Type IC
Naming practice Type XX((A)(B) and transparency
Comparison of general requirements of cement types
Comparison of special property requirements of cement types
Standards changes coming to C595 and M240 in August
Details of the new requirements and rationale
USGS blended cement share
DOT acceptance maps
Best practices for introducing new cements, including blended cements
SCM (and blended cements) influence on fresh and hardened concrete properties
Producer data and recommended concrete tests and test placements
NRMCA and ACA resources

Presented by:

James (Jamie) Farny, ACA Director, Environmental Measurement and Metrics

Paul Tennis, Ph.D., FACI, FASTM, ACA Senior Director, Research & Product Standards

BCMI and the Superworkforce, Part 2: Agent XBE Across the Full Operation

Description: In Part 1, we showed how All-22 turns dispatch into a simulation-driven discipline -- optimizing the full field, generating tickets, and opening the door to autonomous execution. This session picks up where that left off. Agent XBE doesn't stop at the batch queue. It works across BCMI's entire operational and commercial surface -- answering dispatch questions, investigating tickets and orders, supporting customer changes, surfacing quoting and CRM context, generating reports, and executing multi-step workflows that used to require a person clicking through screens. We'll walk through what it actually looks like when an AI superworkforce monitors your operation continuously, spots delivery risk and cycle-time drift before anyone has to ask, and takes action on the same workflows your team uses every day. This isn't a chatbot bolted onto a dashboard. It's a superworkforce that grows out of the system your dispatchers already trust.

Presented by:

Chris Wurtz, Division President at XBE