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A Historical Contribution to Research and Innovation

11/1/2017

Long before Joseph Aspdin, a British bricklayer, patented portland cement in 1824, the Romans had built some of the most durable concrete structures civilizations have ever seen. But, as we look back at concrete production and delivery through the centuries and decades, it is difficult to claim that concrete has undergone radical innovation cycles.

On one hand, concrete is the most durable building material, but on another, it has not developed a great lot. In fact, according to a recent report from McKinsey, concrete construction is one of the most laggard industries, and the second least digitized after agriculture and hunting!

The same report highlights even more disappointing figures: productivity in construction is less than 22% than that of manufacturing and less than 30% of the average productivity in the economy. And, according to the same study, the gap is still widening.

Our industry is also way behind on research and development spending, as it accounts for less than 1% of revenues compared to 4% for the auto industry. There are several reasons behind the relatively low technology adoption in concrete construction compared to manufacturing or even with respect to the average economy. Among those stated by McKinsey, inadequate capacity building, under investment in research, and slow innovation in materials and systems are three important areas requiring urgent intervention.

These are the same three areas where the ACI Foundation (ACIF) has been investing resources: people, research, and innovation.

However, to make a visible impact on our industry in these areas, the Foundation needs much more financial resources. And, to be able to deploy additional funds, ACIF had to have the adequate governance.

In 2016, it developed a strategic plan, and a few months ago, ACIF completed a very effective restructuring effort. Subsequently, its Board of Trustees approached ACI requesting an increase in the funding levels so that the Foundation would better fulfill its mission and create a strong impetus for change in our industry. The ACI Board of Direction responded boldly by approving a yearly funding of $500,000 to the Foundation in addition to covering all of its administrative costs.

This was a truly historic decision. Never before in the history of the Institute has such funding been committed for the concrete industry, and probably no other technical association in the world has shown a similar commitment to its industry.

The ACI Board has clearly stepped up the Institute's role in pushing the boundaries and transforming the concrete industry. The Board put the tag line "Always advancing" in action and showed true leadership in supporting research and innovation in concrete.

ACIF can now better deploy its three main levers.

The first is the development of people. The Scholarship Council of the Foundation will become a key player in developing future industry leaders and researchers through the increasing number of scholarships and fellowships it will provide.

The second is the support of research. The Concrete Research Council (CRC) funded more research last year than any of the previous years and the number of research projects funded by CRC will witness double-digit growth year to year from 2017 onwards.

Finally, the Strategic Development Council (SDC) is fostering innovation through the setting of frameworks to introduce new systems and technologies to the market.

I attended the SDC meeting in Reston, VA, last September and I was pleasantly surprised to see how SDC has become a destination for startups and researchers to showcase new technologies and processes. Alternative cementitious materials, self-healing concrete, low- or zero-carbon concrete, crack management, and many other game-changing themes have been presented. As I listened and talked to the presenters, I clearly sensed their eagerness to have their new products or technologies adopted in ACI codes and standards. This is exactly what SDC has been doing and will continue to do through different ACI committees.

The ACIF is now equipped with strong financial resources to take our industry to a different level and break the status quo holding concrete construction. I am confident that 10 years from now, as we witness breakthroughs in different facets of our industry, we will look back at the decision of the ACI Board in 2017 and see how critical it was to advance concrete and its uses.

Khaled W. Awad