Need to gradually switchover to concrete roads: Sheila Dikshit

India's cities are growing rapidly and consequently road traffic is burgeoning. City roads need to cope with the rapid increase in the density of traffic. The construction of concrete roads has been well recognised in major cities in the world. Considering that conventional road building techniques in India may not suffice to meet this demand, CII jointly with the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Govt. of India, organised a seminar on Concrete Road Projects: Focusing on City Roads & Technology, in New Delhi.

Smt. Sheila Dikshit, Hon'ble Chief Minister of Delhi was the Chief Guest at this event. In her inaugural address, she said "India is beginning to realise the importance of building long-lasting roads. We should begin the process of switching over from bituminous to concrete roads. Even if it takes longer it is worth it." She invited the industry to join hands with CII and offer a workable solution to build concrete roads in the city of Delhi in a manner that involves minimum disturbance to services. She suggested that participants in the seminar examine whether some of the new colonies in the capital region can be considered first. She also expressed the view that rural roads can readily be made with concrete as they do not interfere with civic utilities.

Delivering the keynote address, Mr. Sumit Banerjee, Chairman, Cement Industry Division of CII & Managing Director, ACC Ltd. said "We believe it is important that the cities of India take a serious look at the new trends and technological advancements of building concrete roads. The Indian cement and construction industry and equipment manufacturers are willing to play a proactive role to collaborate with State Governments for construction of city concrete roads."

Concrete is the preferred choice of material to build roads in most of the developed world. The United States of America is often cited as the benchmark for rigid pavements. Concrete roads in USA make up more than half their roads. Dr. Mike Ayers of American Concrete Pavement Association, USA State-of-the-art Technology described design considerations used for building concrete Roads in USA.

The seminar showcased the road construction successes and experiences of select cities in India including Mumbai, Indore and Surat. Issues relating to the adoption of new concrete road-building technology, the role of equipment manufacturers and Government initiatives on city roads were discussed in detail.

Cement concrete roads built in Mumbai, Indore and Surat have been performing exceptionally well in terms of lower maintenance cost and long lasting life. Mr. S.V. Joshi, Chief Engineer - Roads & Bridges, Mumbai Municipal Corporation described Mumbai as the pioneer in building concrete roads in India. Of the total road length of 1941 km in Mumbai, as much as 467 km (about one fourth) are concrete roads. Compared to this, cement concrete roads have a share of only 2 per cent of the national road network of 3.5 million kilometers.

Other key participants at the seminar comprised senior officials of State Governments, cement and ready mix concrete companies, equipment manufacturers, construction companies, consultants and technical experts.

- Business Standard 17.09.2009

World Widest Concrete Building in Jaipur India World Record

N.M. Roof Designers (NMRD) Ltd has figured in the Guinness Book of World Records for designing and constructing a 'satsang hall' (prayer hall) in Jaipur, which has a reinforced concrete cement (RCC) flat roof with a single span of 119 feet.

'If Dubai has Burj Al Hotel - the world's tallest tower - India now has Govind Devji's Satsang Hall in Jaipur, the world's widest concrete building,' said Deepak Sogani, CEO of NMRD Ltd, the structural consultants and contractors for this project, at a press conference here Wednesday.The building is owned by the Govind Devji Temple Trust. The trust awarded the project to the Rajasthan State Road Development Corporation (RSRDC), which in turn roped in Deepak Sogani and NMRD for structural designing and construction of the hall.

The architectural services were provided by architect Rajeev Khanna of Delhi.'It is a great moment of pride for NMRD, RSRDC, state of Rajasthan as well as for India to figure in the Guinness World Records for this architectural wonder,' Sogani added.

The total cost of building this structure was Rs.30 million (Rs. 3 crore).The hall is adjacent to the Govind Devji Temple, the personal temple of the royal family of Jaipur. The hall is situated in the City Palace complex - the residence of the maharaja - in the old walled city.The Govind Devji Temple Trust wanted a satsang hall that could seat 5,000 devotees at any given time. The primary requirement of the trust was that the hall should not have any pillars in between.

Given the large width of the hall and the requirement of constructing a flat, usable roof, the only structure that could work was a grid slab. A grid or waffle slab is an RCC roof constructed employing a criss-cross square grid of deep ribs.The entire grid roof of 36 metres x 38 metres is resting on four peripheral beams. The outer beams, in turn, rest on eight columns on the outer periphery, four at the corners and four in the middle of each side.

'We faced several engineering challenges while designing a structure of this size. Our major concern was to minimize the deflection, or the sagging of the roof - a phenomenon that occurs when pillars are distant from each other,' Sogani said.

An innovative idea struck Sogani. By increasing the thickness of a very insignificant slab from 115 mm to 200 mm, the deflection was brought within permissible limits. 'This was a magical moment in my 26-year long structural engineering career,' Sogani said.Further, Sogani went to Britain to get trained in the world's latest technology in building construction - post-tensioning.Both the post-tensioning technology and the increase in slab thickness contributed to creating this structural marvel.'We used equipment and technology deployed for making flyovers and bridges to construct this hall,' he added.'The location of the hall was another challenge. The construction of the roof required 90 trucks to enter the busy site during a period of 36 hours,' Sogani said.This busy tourist destination also attracts roughly 2,000 devotees that visit the temple every day, apart from the city crowds.'Help came from everywhere,' Sogani said.The Jaipur traffic police offered to control the traffic for smooth movement of trucks. RSRDC personnel and temple workers helped with the logistics during the period of roof casting.Giving details, Sogani said the prayer hall's roof area is about 16,000 square feet and a total of two million (20 lakh) litres of concrete was used to build this hall.The hall has been constructed using three lakh kg of steel. This quantity of steel could have built 60 residential flats.

- http://www.worldamazingrecords.com/2009/09/world-widest-concrete-building-in.html

NIRMAN 2009

The Gujarat Institute of Civil Engineers & Architects (GICEA) and Akar InfoMedia Pvt. Ltd. (AIM) will be jointlly organising 'NIRMAN 2009', an exhibition cum symposium during November 12 to 15, 2009 at Ahmedabad.

The exhibitors would consist of:

Construction equipment including earthmoving equipment, material handling equipment, cranes, scrapers & loaders, scaffolding equipment, roof systems & external facades, road & pavement construction equipment, surveying & material testing equipment.

Facilities & services including air conditioning & ventilation, security systems & devices, plumbing, elevators & escalators, it solutions, financial services, play ground & club house equipment, parking solutions, office equipment, plumbing.

Building materials & fittings including cement and concrete; steel, doors and windows, pipes & fittings, fountain systems, glass, paints, water heating systems, coatings, sanitary fittings & fixtures, surface & finishes, aluminum composite panels, adhesives, water proofing & construction chemicals, drainage solutions, construction materials, fire fighting / suppression systems, marble, granite, tiles & ceramic floorings, water purification systems, electrical fittings & fixtures, light fittings & fixtures, ready mix concrete, faucets, shower systems, bathroom accessories, kitchen accessories, pumping systems, TMT bars, water treatment & storage systems, valves, swimming pool systems.

Exceptional attractions including furniture & interior artifacts, modular & imported furniture, techno legal consultants.

Concurrent to the exhibition three symposiums will be held on the vital issues concerning the construction industry on the first three days of the exhibition, aimed at providing a platform to the industry for idea-sharing. The following are the subjects of the three symposiums:

1 - Green buildings in Gujarat : Emerging Business Opportunities - Every coin has two sides to it. What is dire necessity from one perspective can be a huge incentive from the other. The concept of 'Green Buildings in Gujarat' is one such example of the phenomenon. With governments across the world - including that in Gujarat - giving stress to and supporting environment friendly construction, especially in the wake of rapid urbanization and climate of Gujarat, it provides a great opportunity and a rapidly growing market of 'green construction'.

2 - High rise / smart buildings : The Need, the Concerns & the Future - While on one hand the concurrent phenomena of rapid urbanization and diminishing spaces in urban clusters of Gujarat is causing construction companies to increasingly go for vertical construction, record levels of disposable incomes are making consumers demand ever so more from the construction companies. Seen in its entirety, the need of high rise and smart buildings, along with concerns of safety, quality and environment, has given birth to an entire range of possibilities for Gujarat's construction companies. How the companies and professionals make use of the opportunities, while addressing the need and concerns, is what makes up for the Symposium 2.

3 - Infrastructure challenges: Planning for a Better Gujarat - No society, leave aside construction of individual dwellings and properties, can flourish without the support of an all-round development of infrastructure. Fortunately, even our politicians realize the truth now and are giving impetus to huge infrastructure projects. What makes it a win-win situation for the entire construction fraternity is that one single infrastructure project calls for involvement of almost every single arm of the construction industry; thereby generating business for all, and adding to the growth and prosperity of the entire society. The key, however, lies in planning it right.

For more details, please contact:

S.K. Vyas - CEO
The Gujarat Institute of Civil Engineers & Architects
Nirman Bhavan, Opp. Law Garden
Ellisbridge, Ahmedabad 380 006
Tel: +91 79 2656 5935
Fax: +91 79 2643 0213
Email: gicea2005india@yahoo.co.in

Build Expo 2009

The Erode District Civil Engineers Association (EDCEA) and Erode Civil Engineers Trust (ECET) are organising 'Build Expo 2009 during December 25 to 28, 2009 at Parimalam Mahal, Perundurai Road, Erode.

It proposes to be a mega show of building materials and will bond together all those who believe in the constructive utilisation of space.

Build Expo 2009 plans to feature the very best of the building, civil engineering & architectural community and its related associates. The most comprehensive array of products and services in terms of construction materials will be on display. The participating sectors include builders, flat promoters, housing finance, steel & cement, interior & exteriors, construction materials, building hardware, bathroom, modular kitchen and accessories, construction equipment, furniture, electrical products, cad systems, decorative glass, wall and floor tiles, security systems, plywood & boards, paints, grills, inverters & ups, safety lockers, solar products, water treatment, doors & windows and construction chemicals.

The event is targeted at builders, civil engineers, architects, interior designers & decorators, property developers, project managers, facility managers, town & urban planners, distributors, public sector authorities, homemakers, students and the general public.

One of the most enterprising cities in Tamilnadu, Erode is a delight for almost every industry. With ample natural and human resources, entrepreneurial talent, infrastructural facilities, it is budding ground for almost every kind of business and industry.

The construction industry in the region has shown sharp growth in recent years and is poised to be consistently on the rise. The industry will be well-represented by prominent names in this booming business. Being an important hub for business activities, Erode attracts a huge floating population from far and wide. This will prove to be an integral parameter for bringing in visitors to the show.

For more details, please contact:

The Erode District Civil Engineers Association Erode Civil Engineers Trust
9/3-B, Indhu Nagar, Palayapalayam
Erode 638009
Tel: 0424-2273535, 9842663631
Email: erodedcea@yahoo.ie
Website: www.edcea.com

Conferences by CI-Premier

Protection of structures against hazards

The Tsinghua University, Beijing, China and CI-Premier Conference Organisation, Singapore with the support of National Natural Science Foundation of China and Dept. of Civil Engineering, Yantai University, China are organising the fourth International conference on 'Protection of structures against hazards' during October 23-25, 2009 at Beijing, China

Catastrophic consequences could occur as a result of inadequate provisions or lack of understanding of the performance of structures/components subjected to hazardous man-made loads or loads caused by nature. And, it is only through the experience and ingenuity of man that the number of fatal and catastrophic incidences are reduced. Extensive research, testing and advanced computational modelling have been used to better understand the effects of loading on the performance of structures and components. Nature, too, has its way of creating an optimum solution to support loading. The aim of this conference is to provide a platform of like-minded individuals from a diversity of background to exchange ideas and to interact productively to deliver better understanding of the complex world we live in. This conference addresses topics related to the protection of buildings/components and occupants to natural and man-made hazards. The conference considers issues that will promote better understanding of the performance of structures and components. Innovative solutions are needed to address many matters occurring daily, and scientists, researchers and engineers are in the best position to address them. Special topics, such as protection of occupants in buildings from the hazards of chemical or biological contamination and the hardening of structures to protect occupants from the effects of explosions, steel bar corrosion, concrete durability issue, vibration of structures, earthquake effects, fire safety for structures, ground subsidence, etc. are specially welcomed. Invitation to participate Following the successful following successful international conferences on "Protection of structures against hazards" in 2002, 2004 and 2006, the Steering Committee is calling the 4th Conference to continue the discussion on the engineering and technological aspects and issues that will make structures safer against natural or man-made hazards.
Discussion will be focused on engineering and technological aspects and issues that will make buildings and structures safer against the following themes:

• Terrorists attacks
  
• Impact and shock loads
  
• Fire
  
• Chemical and biological hazards
  
• Structural collapse (architectural, structural and construction)
  
• Corrosion and natural degradation
  
• Natural hazards (landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis, etc)
  
• Vibrations
  
• Ground subsidence
  
• Radioactive risks (nuclear)
  

Related issues are also invited, such as:

• Mitigation (preventive measures)
  
• Rescue, safety and evacuation techniques
  

Shock & Impact Loads on Structures

The School of Civil, Environmental & Mining Engineering, The University of Adelaide, Australia with the support of Defence Science and Technology Organisation - DSTO, Australia are organising the eight international conference on 'Shock & Impact Loads on Structures' during December 2 to 4, 2009 at Adelaide, Australia

New and original technical papers at the conference will be considered for the following awards:

• The Simon Perry Award (in memory of Prof Simon Perry, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland)
  
• The K&C Award (Sponsored by Karagozian & Case, USA)
  
• The Japan Impact Committee Award (Sponsored by Japan Impact Research Group)
  
• The RNSA Award (Sponsored by the Research Network for a Secure Australia)
  

The following themes are scheduled for discussion:

• Earthquake Shock
  
• Impact Resistant Rock-Shed Structures
  
• Numerical Simulation and Modelling
  
• Dynamic Soil-Structure Interaction
  
• Missile Impact and Penetration Mechanics
  
• Shock and Wave Propagation
  
• Dynamic Behaviour of Structural Elements & Design
  
• Explosion caused by High Explosives, Gas and Dust
  
• Blast Loading on Structures & Protective Technology
  
• Experimental Techniques at High Strain Rate
  
• Traffic barrier impacts and the crashworthiness of land/sea/air transportation vehicles
  
• Design of Explosion Containment Vessels
  
• Special Sessions on Specific Topics
  

For more details, please contact

Er. John S Y Tan
CI-Premier Pte Ltd
150 Orchard Road #07-14
Orchard Plaza, Singapore 238841
Tel: +65-67332922
Fax: +65-62353530
Email: cipremie@singnet.com.sg