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ACI International in This Shrinking World!

10/1/1998

The first time I flew in an airplane, in the summer of 1951, I traveled from Los Angeles to Boston to attend the First U.S. Conference on Prestressed Concrete. The conference was held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge.

The DC-6 aircraft in which I traveled was the pride of the nation’s commercial aircraft industry at the time. By today’s standards, it was not fast. It took from early morning to late at night to complete the coast-to-coast trip.

Forty-seven years later, in mid-July of this year, our daughter, who resides in Brussels, Belgium, left our home in San Diego in the early morning and called from Brussels late that same night.

Why do I give you this not-so-interesting piece of information? Simply to illustrate the fact that although the world is not physically smaller than it has been in the past, to its current inhabitants it certainly seems to be.

A few years ago, I was a member of a team of engineers, scientists, and technicians who were assembled to review the plans, specifications, and details of construction of a major bridge/causeway project being planned for the Middle East. The primary objective of the proposed new construction was to facilitate the transportation of commerce and international travel between countries in the region.

The home office of the design professionals of record for the project was located in Denmark. The owner of the project established a Project Review Board (PRB) composed of individuals trained in a number of disciplines. These individuals came from various locations in Europe and North America. The World Bank was actively involved in establishing the PRB and assisting in the review of the project.

One of the earliest assignments for the PRB was for its members to review the plans and specifications for the project and make specific recommendations for future study and possible revision. Later, the PRB was charged with the evaluation of details and alternative designs for the project proposed by the various bidders. All bidders were required to bid on the base design, but they also had the opportunity to propose alternative designs.

Although the members of the PRB had been educated and employed in many different countries, using different design codes, materials standards, and criteria, the members of this international team were able to combine their efforts effectively and efficiently. They were able to work together in the evaluation of the components of the project and to agree on the merits of the various design alternatives and substitutions proposed by the bidders.

This experience opened my eyes and, very likely, the eyes of other members of the PRB as well. Another significant observation was that, with few exceptions, the calculations and plans submitted for alternative designs proposed by the bidders appeared to conform to model building codes/design procedures used throughout the world. Some designs were rejected by the PRB and, when this occurred, the decision was almost invariably unanimous. In spite of our being from different backgrounds and experiences, our thinking on technical matters was generally similar.

ACI and other professional organizations around the world that are interested in the design and use of concrete in structures have been and continue to be active in supporting the objectives of the International Standardization Organization (ISO). The active new members of ISO continue to work towards formulating an acceptable set or sets of international rules related to concrete. ACI administers the Secretariat for ISO TC-71 and supports the ISO objective in establishing international standards for the design and use of concrete structures.

For some time, ACI has participated in ISO committees related to the design of concrete structures: "The object of ISO is to promote the development of standardization and related activities in the world with a view towards facilitating international exchange of goods and services, and to developing cooperation in the spheres of international, scientific, and economic activity." (Note: The name of the organization, "ISO," taken from the Greek word "ISOS," was adopted to avoid the use of the different spellings of "IOS" in English and "OIN" in French.)

There is no question that the advances in technology have changed the world in the past century and have made drastic changes in our lives -- from Model-T Fords to modern aircraft and spaceships. Although it takes time for us to adjust to such changes, we must do so. What other choice is there?

James R. Libby
President
American Concrete Institute

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