News Detail

The World’s View of ACI

10/2/2019

I have now had several opportunities to travel outside of the United States representing ACI. The interactions that I have had with those who I have met in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Latin America, and South America—to name a few—strongly support the notion that ACI is viewed as one of the premier organizations, not only with respect to concrete, but in all of the construction industry.

There are probably many reasons that ACI is held in such high regard by our colleagues outside of the United States. As I discussed in last month’s President's Memo, the Institute’s technical journals are considered among the best in the world for explaining new concrete materials and structural concrete technology. The diversity represented within ACI's technical committees demonstrates the Institute's boots-on-the-ground philosophy for providing knowledge and needed information to practicing concrete professionals around the world. Clearly, the members' wide range of experience results in the creation of state-of-the-art reports, guides, standards, and codes. As a metaphor for the breadth of topics covered by our technical committees, I think of the varied extremes in environmental exposure that concrete can be subjected to in various parts of the world and, in fact, within a localized geographic area. No matter the location in the world, ACI is a world-recognized repository for concrete knowledge.

There is very significant value in ACI as an organization and for members of ACI being involved with technical groups and associations from around the world. My recent overseas trips to Taipei, Taiwan, for a meeting hosted by the Taiwan Chapter – ACI and the Taiwan Concrete Institute, and to Sapporo, Japan, for the fourth joint seminar of ACI with the Japan Concrete Institute, helped focus some of my understanding of both the common ground and the differences in the concrete industry around the world.

There are many similarities between the concrete building codes published by ACI and the Taiwan Concrete Institute, as their building code is largely based on the ACI 318 Structural Concrete Building Code. There are impressive concrete buildings in Taipei, such as the Taipei 101 and the Nan Shan Plaza that are at the cutting edge of high-rise construction. Also, I had the opportunity to visit the precast factory outside Taipei and was amazed at some of the innovations that were being made in reducing congestion and providing integral connections that emulate cast-in-place concrete construction. However, Taiwan has some unique challenges with its supply chain and availability of construction materials for concrete that most of us take for granted in the United States.

The Japanese also have a rich history in developing concrete technology, including the first applications of self-consolidating concrete (SCC). Their thinking about sustainability, resiliency, and durability is shaped by catastrophic natural events in that country. Further, their culture has developed a clear understanding of the effects of depletion of natural resources and climate change. These are challenges for every country in the world as we face the depletion of natural resources and the impact that construction of all types has on the environment.

Naturally, the view of the world of ACI is not a one-way street. It is important for us at ACI to understand the unique challenges of countries outside the United States. I know that I have continued to be shaped in my thinking by being active in international technical organizations and committees, which has allowed me to develop a broad perspective of how engineers outside the United States think. Participating in committee meetings and conferences outside the United States has provided me with unique experiences that have critically shaped my view of the construction industry.

As the result of a recent trip to Kraków, Poland, I had the opportunity to meet with the current fib President Tor Ole Olsen and fib General Secretary David Fernández-Ordóñez. fib is a sister organization of ACI based in Switzerland. We agree that ACI and fib should have a closer relationship, and accordingly, our organizations will co-sponsor a session at the fib Symposium 2020 in Shanghai, China, on fiber-reinforced concrete and ultra-high-performance concrete with speakers from the United States and Asia.

As I have learned, ACI is well respected in all parts of the world, but we have a responsibility to observe, adapt, and change in response to challenges in the concrete industry no matter where these challenges originate.

Randall W. Poston

ACI President