Home | Concrete Innovations

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.

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.

Nominate a project.

1/3

Schedule

SCHEDULE FOR UPCOMING SESSIONS
Webinars | LIVE events

SESSION 39 - CONCRETE OPTIMIZATION WITH AI

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

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

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.

.............................................

JUNE 17, 2026

11:00-13:00 eastern

SESSION 40 - THE NEW CONCRETE PCR, INDUSTRY-WIDE EPD AND BENCHMARK REPORT

Sustainable ready-mixed concrete design is a rapidly evolving field. The NRMCA industry average environmental product declaration (EPD) for concrete has demonstrated an estimated 21% decrease in industry carbon emissions, measured in Global Warming Potential (GWP), from 2014 to 2021. It is essential for industry standards to be updated frequently to keep pace with the changing field of sustainable ready-mixed concrete.

NSF International recently published the revised Product Category Rule (PCR) standard for ready mixed concrete with key updates that will affect how ready-mixed concrete producers report data to create EPDs.

NRMCA is also publishing its fourth version of the Industry Average EPD and Benchmark Report, which it has maintained since 2013. This report will conform with the new concrete PCR and estimates the environmental impacts of ready-mixed concrete across a large range of compressive strengths and ratios of cement replacement by supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs). Version 4.0 is based on an entirely new survey of the industry, with data contributed by over 1,000 ready-mixed concrete plants, more than double the size of previous versions.

The Regional Benchmark Report is a companion document which uses the same survey data to estimate the impact of the “average” concrete mix based on survey data, for both national and multi-state regional scopes. This assists specifiers and policy makers with setting realistic, achievable benchmarks for low-carbon concrete that still drive innovation and best sustainable practices.

This session will provide an overview of the new concrete PCR, industry-wide EPD and regional benchmark report outlining key updates and their anticipated impact on industry.

Learning Objectives:

Review the history of the concrete product category rule (PCR) and Industry Average environmental product declaration (EPD) for concrete.
Understand the concrete PCR version 3.0 and its effects on EPDs for concrete.
Discuss the expanded range of concrete products in the Industry Average EPD version 4.0.
Review changes in national and regional global warming potential (GWP) benchmarks and their causes.