

Sponsors | Awards | Webinars | LIVE events
LEARNING CENTER
Bring practitioners, researchers and policy makers together to exchange the latest innovations for sustainable concrete design, construction and manufacturing.
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.
SCHEDULE FOR UPCOMING SESSIONS
Webinars | LIVE events
OCT 15
11:00-13:00 eastern
SESSION 34: CLIMATE SMART CONCRETE
-
​Technical Session
-
Data-Driven Discovery of Alternative Binders for Climate-Smart Concrete
-
Soroush Mahjoubi, Postdoctoral Associate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
-
This talk presents a data-driven pathway to cut carbon footprint tied to energy-intensive clinker by expanding the palette of clinker substitutes drawn from both secondary wastes and natural rocks. We combined large-scale, large language model-based literature mining, extracting chemical compositions and types for ~14k materials from ~88k papers—with a machine learning model that predicts unified reactivity metrics (heat release, Ca(OH)â‚‚ consumption) from chemistry, particle size, and density. We then mapped reactivity across different material types, including construction and demolition wastes, municipal solid waste incinerator ashes, glasses, biomass ashes, mine tailings, and natural rocks, identifying abundant reactive volcanic and sedimentary materials along the East and West Coasts of the United States. Subject to performance constraints, current supply suggests substituting roughly half of global cement with waste streams—an estimated ~3% reduction in global GHGs, comparable to taking ~260 million U.S. vehicles off the road. The framework is plug-and-play with mix design optimization pipelines and can be integrated into supply chain decision tools.
-
Soroush Mahjoubi is a Postdoctoral Associate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, working with the Concrete Sustainability Hub (CSHub) and Olivetti Group. His research focuses on decarbonizing the U.S. concrete industry by integrating materials informatics and machine learning to discover raw and secondary cementitious materials, optimize mix designs, and support informed supply chain decision-making. During his Ph.D., Soroush developed AI-guided methods to design sustainable, high-performance, fiber-reinforced cementitious materials.
-
-
-
Product Spotlight - Heidelberg Materials
-
Concrete Steps to Net Zero: Practical Strategies for Low Carbon Construction
-
Shane Mulligan, Sustainability Market Manager, Heidelberg Materials
-
As the concrete industry accelerates toward net zero, practical collaboration across the value chain is more critical than ever. This session will outline real-world lessons learned in specifying and delivering low carbon concrete from early design through construction. Heidelberg Materials will unpack how designers, contractors, and suppliers can align at key project stages to meet carbon targets without compromising performance. Drawing from industry best practices and resources in the United States and Canada, the presentation will highlight the role of carbon budgeting and how Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are evolving to support transparency. Attendees will gain insight into the shifting landscape of cement and cementing materials, and emerging tools that support better decision-making.
-
Shane Mulligan, P.Eng., LEED Green Associate is the Sustainability Market Manager for Heidelberg Materials, where he is responsible for all aspects of sustainable sales and marketing efforts in North America. This includes working with architects, engineers, and designers towards lower carbon, sustainable solutions in the built environment. He has over 20 years of experience in a variety of civil engineering sectors including the technical promotion of cement and concrete products, structural design of underground infrastructure, waste diversion planning, and stormwater management.
-
-
-
Product Spotlight - American Society of Concrete Contractors
-
-
ASCC Sustainability & Low Carbon Concrete Efforts
-
​Mike Hernandez, PE, FACI, Technical Director, American Society of Concrete Contractors
-
The concrete contracting community is an important partner in the path to carbon neutrality and the implementation of performance specifications. There are many initiatives that ASCC has undertaken to help move the industry forward in these areas in addition to other avenues of technical excellence. These activities will be discussed.
-
Mike is Chair of ACI Committee 131 Building Information Modeling, a member of ACI Committees 90-07 TAC Productivity and Constructability, 130 Sustainability of Concrete, 134, Concrete Constructability, 207 Mass and Thermally Controlled Concrete, 302, Construction of Concrete Floors, 305, Hot Weather Concreting, 308, Curing Concrete, 347, Formwork for Concrete, E703, Concrete Construction Practice, C640 Craftsman Certification and Joint ACI-ASCC Committees 117, Tolerances, and 310, Decorative Concrete. Hernandez holds an MBA from the University of Florida, an MSCE and BENVD from the University of Colorado, and was a Mechanical Engineering Major at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a licensed P.E. in Florida and Colorado, and a Certified General Contractor in Florida. He is also a U.S. Green Building Council, LEED Green Associate and a Design Build Certified Professional. As the ASCC Technical Director, Mike oversees the operations and services for the technical content of the American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC), Decorative Concrete Council (DCC), and Concrete Polishing Council (CPC).
-
-
NOV 19
11:00-13:00 eastern
SESSION 35: RESPONSIBE SOURCING
-
Technical Session
-
​Responsible Sourcing: How Can It Help Meet Green Building Goals?
-
Lionel Lemay, PE, SE, LEED AP
-
Responsible sourcing, featured in LEED and Envision standards, promotes sustainable product manufacturing across the value chain. The Concrete Sustainability Council (CSC) certification helps concrete companies meet these criteria by assessing environmental, social, governance, and economic factors. This certification enables companies to demonstrate their sustainability commitment in construction. This presentation covers how to achieve the certification and how design professionals can specify it to support green building objectives.
-
Lionel is the Founder and CEO of ConcreteNexus LLC and Director, Market Development – North America, Concrete Sustainability Council. Formerly Lionel worked for NRMCA as Executive Vice President for Structures and Sustainability and was responsible for developing and implementing strategic marketing plans to increase market share of concrete through communications, promotion, education and advocacy. He is a Registered Professional Engineer and Structural Engineer in the State of Illinois. He is also a LEED Accredited Professional. Mr. Lemay holds a bachelor's and master's degree in civil engineering from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
-
-
-
Product Spotlight - CalPortland
-
Product Spotlight - CarbonCure
-
CarbonCure
-
Dean Forgeron Ph.D, P.Eng, FACI​
-
-
DEC 17
11:00-13:00 eastern
SESSION 36
-
​Technical Sessions
-
Product Spotlight - Giatec Scientific, Inc.
-
Product Spotlight
​​
.............................................
​
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.




(transp%20bkrnd).png)
















