Innovative world of concrete 2008

The Indian Concrete Institute is organising an exhibition and seminar on 'Innovative World of Concrete 2008' from December 11-14, 2008 at New Delhi.

The highlights of the exhibition are as follows:

• Participation of construction equipment, material and allied services majors and industry leaders.
  
• Comprehensive collection of construction capabilities from across the globe.
  
• Latest technologies.
  
• Supported by major, construction trade associations of India.
  
• Expected participation of 200 exhibitors from over 20 countries and 12000 focused business visitors.
  
• One to one business meetings.
  
• Corporate presentations.
  
• New construction equipment launches.

Against this background, ICI Innovative World of Concrete 2008, is designed to meet the diverse needs of the Indian construction industry, which would open new business vistas in line with the Government policies and develop and improve the country's infrastructure.

The display profile of the exhibitors are:

• Batching equipment.
  
• Testing and instrumentation
  
• Building fixtures and fttings
  
• Water supply, sanitary, electricals and air-conditioning
  
• Construction machinery, material, technology and chemicals
  
• Software services

The theme of the conference is 'Concrete for new age structures'. The construction industry has witnessed an exponential growth in the past few years. Some of the very important and challenging bridges, buildings, flyovers, chimneys and industrial structures are in different phases of construction.

Use of micro-silica and blended cements have become increasingly popular. Appropriateness of each materials needs to be understood by the engineering fraternity. The best way to disseminate such knowledge is to have a common platform for presentations, discussions and interaction. This conference is expected to fulfill this needs of today's engineers. Sub-themes of the conference have been carefully chosen keeping in view the emerging trends and technologies in the field of civil engineering.

The sub-themes of the conference are:

• Aesthetics.
  
• Mega projects in concrete.
  
• Special concretes and quality assurance.
  
• Design and codes of practice.
  
• Construction methods and equipment.
  
• Innovative Materials and Technology.
  
• Repairs and rehabilitation.
  
• Earthquake resistant concrete structures.

For more details, please contact:]

The Secretariat
The Indian Concrete Institute
57, Khizrabad, New Friends Colony
New Delhi 110 025
Tel: 91-11-65659495, 96
Fax: 91-11-26920271
Email: ici_iwc08@tafcon.com
Web: www.ici-iwc08.com

ACC commissions wind energy farm in Tamil Nadu

ACC successfully commissioned its first wind energy farm located in Udayathoor in Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu. This initiative is part of the company's efforts to adopt clean and green technologies to reduce dependence on conventional fossil fuel based energy sources.

The wind power plant comprises six modern wind turbines of capacity 1.5 MW each made by Suzlon Energy Limited. The project was executed in a record time of three months from start to finish. ACC's Udayathoor wind farm is located near Kanyakumari, a region that experiences winds of enough speed to support wind energy installations.

Wind power generated here will be wheeled to ACC's Madukkarai cement plant in Coimbatore through a suitable arrangement with the state grid. Excess power not utilised by Madukkarai plant will be offered to the grid.

Sumit Banerjee, Managing Director, said "The state of Tamil Nadu has been proactive in promoting and adopting renewable sources of energy. Our Madukkarai cement plant has already been contributing to conserving mineral resources by using low grade limestone and fly ash. I am pleased to dedicate the Udayathoor wind farm to honour this nature-friendly spirit of the people and Government of Tamil Nadu. The Udayathoor wind project is a small but significant milestone in ACC's journey towards sustainable development."

Electricity generated from wind power is green energy. It is renewable, non-polluting, relatively noise-free and leads to no direct emissions. Wind energy projects are eligible for Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) benefits under certain specific conditions.

- ACC press release

Structural Engineers World Congress 2007

The Structural Engineers World Congress 2007 will be held from November 4-9, 2007 in Bangalore, India. This third international congress is dedicated to the art, science and practice of structural engineering.

The congress will deliberate on a wide spectrum of issues in structural engineering across the world. It will be of interest to engineers, consultants, architects, construction engineers, managers, academicians, students and everyone connected with the building and construction industry. The indicative themes include analysis and computation, concrete structures, steel structures, structural masonry, bridges, shells and spatial structures, hydraulic structures, underground structures, stacks, towers and tall structures, special structures, structures for developing countries, structures and architectural engineering, earthquake and blast resistant design, repair, rehabilitation, retrofitting and health monitoring of structures, new materials in structural engineering, forensic engineering, appurtenances, professional practice, etc.

For more details, please contact:

Structural Engineers World Congress
#3944/F, 17th 'D' Cross, 4th Main,
BSK II Stage, Bangalore 560 070
Tel: +91(80) 26765288
Fax: +91(80) 26763910
E-mail: info@sewc2007.org
Website: www.sewc2007.org

Sustainable concrete construction

The India Chapter of American Concrete Institute is organising an international conference on 'Sustainable Concrete Construction' from February 8-10, 2008 at Ratnagiri. . This is a part of the centenary celebration of The Institution of Structural Engineers, UK

The themes of the conference are:

• Regulatory framework and government initiatives (covering local / national government policy, fiscal measures / taxation, national targets, business opportunities, current perceptions of sustainable concrete, achieving full acceptance, etc.).
  
• Engineering design for sustainable concrete (covering concrete constituents, recycled / manufactured aggregates, PFA, GGBS, etc.).
  
• Methods and tools for sustainable concrete practice (covering technological developments, advance mix design, standards and specifications, use of microscopy and microanalysis techniques, environment versus economics, etc).
  
• Environmentally friendly durable sustainable concrete (covering engineering and structural performance of sustainable concrete, influence of environmentally friendly constituents on both durability and structural properties etc.).
  
• Robust sustainable concrete construction (covering structural framing to suit demolition/ or future reuse of the frame, framing to avoid disproportionate collapse, monitoring concrete buildings, etc.).
  
• Towards effective waste and resource management (covering waste minimisation, recycling for reuse, recovery, total recycling opportunities, etc).

For more details, please contact:

Mr. R.N. Raikar,
Principal Coordinator,
India Chapter of ACI, 2-3, Nagree Terraces
Soonawala Agiary Road, Mahim (West),
Mumbai 400 016
Tel: 91-22- 2446 9175, 3295 7023,
E-mail : icaci@vsnl.net
Web: www.icaci.com

World of Concrete 2008

The 'World of Concrete 2008' will be held on January 21-25, 2008 (seminars) and January 22-25, 2008 (exhibits) at Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

ACI is offering free admission (up to $65 savings) and discounts on seminars (up to $40 savings per seminar).

The salient features of World of Concrete 2008 are:

• The industry's largest international annual event;
  
• Over 900,000 net square feet of innovative products, tools, and technology to help people succeed;
  
• More than 1,700 industry suppliers from all over the world;
  
• The latest trends, materials, equipment, techniques, and information - all under one roof;
  
• The most respected seminar programme in the industry offering training and certification programmes in several targeted tracks, including training for ACI's concrete flatwork finisher/technician, ACI's tilt-up technician/supervisor, and ACI's commercial/industrial concrete flatwork finisher/technician certification programmes.

To receive free admission and discounts on seminars courtesy of the American Concrete Institute, please register online or mention code 'A21'.

In Las Vegas, ACI's booth number is C 4639!
For more details, please contact:
American Concrete Institute
P.O. Box 9094
Farmington Hills, MI 48333-9094
USA
Tel: 1-248-848-3800
E-mail: bkstore@concrete.org
Web: www.concrete.org

Recent advances and future trends in design and construction of bridges

The National Bridge Research and Development Centre, Hyderabad, is organising a national seminar on 'Recent advances and future trends in design and construction of bridges' from April 25 - 27, 2008 at Hyderabad.

Bridges are no longer conceived as routine structures to provide access over an obstruction, but combine aesthetics with utility and functionality. More and more alluring structures of unconventional profiles are likely to be built with longer spans than ever before to merge unobtrusively with the landscape. The close interaction between architects and engineers led to the development of many fascinating structures like Alamillo (Spain) and Sheik Zayad (Abu Dhabi) bridges all over the world. Many such spectacular structures are likely to embellish the landscape of many a country in near future. While urban flyovers are stretching from one end to the other of ever expanding cities, even pedestrian bridges are taking sensational profiles to entice the users and enthrall the populace.

It may be said that several fascinating and innovative bridges have been designed and built in the last couple of decades than at any other comparable time in the annals of civilisation. These structures were preceded by the developments in materials and construction techniques, and reflect the vision and courage of the engineers in adopting unconventional methods. Consequently, bridges are successfully adapted beyond the spans not considered viable a few years ago. The developments in bridge engineering parallel that of the economic growth of a country perhaps more than any other infrastructural parameter.

The well known concepts of prestressing have been stretched to incorporate external prestressing and extradosed structures. The cable stayed bridges have come a long way from the plump deck girders of the Stroemsund bridge, Sweden, and evolved into the multi-span cable stayed structures spanning a few kilometres. Cable supported structures include the slender network arch bridges and extradosed bridges.

High performance concrete (HPC) with not only high strength but also high workability, compaction, and durability found extensive applications in bridges. Besides high performance, self-compacting concretes have also been developed and adopted extensively in several countries. Composite materials and fibre reinforced plastics are evolving at a rapid pace to provide a viable alternative to conventional materials. Though in experimental stages, several bridges are built using composite plastics. The repair and rehabilitation techniques are made more effective than before with the advent of composite materials.

However, the endeavours of engineers have to match the pace of growth of the current century, leading to the quest for further development in bridge engineering. Optimum utility of resources, such as construction machinery, materials and personnel, is essential to meet the challenges of the future structures.

The seminar is conceived by the National Bridge Research and Development Centre, Hyderabad to disseminate the details on the recent advances as well as focus on future trends in order to evolve rational methods of design and construction for the unconventional and innovative structural systems.
The primary objective of the seminar is to appraise the recent advances in the design and construction of bridges besides focussing on the future trends. The possible modifications and revisions in the relevant codes, aesthetics, seismic and hazard resistant designs, health monitoring, rehabilitation and retrofitting will be the other aspects of focus. Grade separators, urban flyovers and footbridges besides construction management, quality control, fast track construction and bridge appurtenances (drainage, lighting, sound barriers, access and crash barriers) will also form a part of the proceedings. Innovative concepts such as value engineering, holistic approach to design and construction as well as case studies are also included.
Some of the seminar themes with reference to railway and highway bridge projects, including flyovers, are listed below.

• Codes of practice
  
• Recent developments in bridge engineering
  
• Optimisation methods for bridge structures
  
• Mechanisation in bridge construction
  
• Contract and construction management
  
• Quality control, inspection and maintenance
  
• Current advances in construction of bridges
  
• Future trends in bridge engineering
  
• Future trends in the materials and construction
  
• Aesthetics and impact of environment
  
• Pedestrian bridges
  
• Flyovers and urban bridges
  
• Bridge appurtenances
  
• Testing and health monitoring
  
• Seismic and hazard resistant design and construction
  
• Rehabilitation and widening
  
• Vibrations and dynamic behaviour

For more details, please contact:

Er. N.S. Moorthy
Conference Secretary
293 / 7, First Floor, R & B Office Complex
Mahaveer Marg, A.C. Guards,
Hyderabad 500 004
Tel: 91-40-2337 5172
E-mail : nbrdc@rediffmail.com
Website: www.nbrdc.org

National Building Code of India 2005

The Bureau of Indian Standards jointly with the Institution of Engineers (India) is organising a workshop on 'National Building Code of India 2005' to be held on October 6 and 7, 2007 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

The workshop provides a platform to highlight and exchange views on various provisions brought out in NBC 2005 and guides in effective implementation of the code by all concerned.

The themes of the workshop are:

• Overview of NBC 2005 and integrated approach
  
• Administration, development control rules and general building requirements
  
• Fire and life safety
  
• Structural design and construction including disaster resistant design of structures
  
• Construction practices and retrofitting in disaster affected areas
  
• Building and plumbing services

The National Building Code of India (NBC) is a prestigious publication of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and a national instrument providing guidelines for regulating the building construction activities across the country. It serves as a model code for adoption by local bodies, Public Works Departments, other government construction departments and private construction agencies.

NBC lays down a set of minimum provisions for buildings designed to ensure safety of public with regard to structural sufficiency, fire hazard and health aspects. It mainly contains administrative provisions, development control rules and general building requirements, fire protection requirements, stipulations regarding materials, structural design and construction (including safety), building and plumbing services, and landscaping, signs and outdoor display structures. BIS has recently brought out the revised code as the National Building Code of India 2005.

The workshop is intended towards civil/construction/structural engineers, architects, consultants, project managers, concrete technologists, students, researchers, faculty of civil engineering and architecture, engineers, architects and town planners from local bodies including, municipal corporations, development authorities, town and country planning departments, PWDs, housing boards and other construction departments of government, public sector and private construction agencies, builders and developers.

For more details, please contact:

Mr. Apoorva Agha
Chairman
The Institution of Engineers (India)
U.P. State Centre, Engineers Bhawan,
River Bank Colony
Lucknow 226 018
Telefax: 0522-2625322
Email: apoorvaagha@hotmail.com

Courses in concrete technology and construction

The City & Guilds of London Institute (CGLI), United Kingdom, established in 1878 is one of the leading global organisations providing international vocational qualification. These vocational qualifications are accepted worldwide in over 100 countries and many organisations have made them mandatory for job promotion.

Indian Concrete Institute (ICI) - Mumbai along with RMC Ready Mix (I) Pvt. Ltd. have made special arrangement to train concrete lovers to take up CGLI international certification examination for 'Advanced diploma in concrete technology & construction - general principles & practical application' to be conducted in May 2008 in Mumbai. Certificates will be issued by CGLI-UK to successful students.

Indian Concrete Institute (ICI) - Mumbai invites applications for the following courses :

• Concrete technology & construction - general principles
  
• Concrete technology & construction - practical application
  

For more details, please contact:

Narendra D. Patel
Principal Co-ordinator
Indian Concrete Institute - Mumbai Centre
201/202, Acme Ghar, K. D. Marg, Near Rasraj Hotel, Vile Parle (E), Mumbai 400 056
Tel: (O) 022-26703000 / 26703100
Fax : 022-26713200
E-mail: narendrapatel2003@yahoo.co.in
ndpatelmumbai@rediffmail.com