Concrete future - Concrete Mix Design, Quality Control and Specification - page 287

of a car? Could the Pantheon in Rome be built using current prescriptive
regulations? Especially in Europe there is a growing tendency to judge
concrete on performance criteria including cost, workability, strength (at
whatever age), durability, aesthetics, and now sustainability.
A “Sustainability Index—Concrete” became available in the Netherlands
and Spain at the end of 2012. The Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment
(LCSA) considers not only the technical aspects but also the social impact
of products such as concrete. Attention to training is part of this index.
Having better nondestructive test equipment available will enhance the
move from testing Lab-Crete toward Real-Crete performance. Remote
monitoring of strength development at real temperatures as well as other
properties can fine-tune the mix design and installation processes. In situ
permeability testing, such as that developed by Dr Roberto Torrent, that is
correlated to durability will improve workmanship that has to include good
curing. And again, a green concrete that is not achieving the life it has been
designed for is not sustainable.
Establishing standardisation for new products is mostly a costly time-
consuming consensus seeking procedure that results often in mediocre
compromises. Innovative mix designs will move toward a more dynamic
verification according to a highly credible testing protocol in order to accel-
erate uptake and market confidence.
13.2.3 Participation
The awareness of what modern sustainable concrete means for people, the
planet, and prosperity has to be improved. Early communication within
the so-called participation pyramid—customer, specifiers (engineers and
architects), suppliers, contractors, and the community—can dramatically
improve the sustainability of concrete. At the end it is the sustainability of
the concrete structure that counts.
For example, the aggregate for a bridge in Northern Norway was shipped
over 1200 km, however, with a redesign local aggregates would have done
the job. The real strength needed at a given time is more and more part of
specifications that will influence the sustainability design of a mix.
Sustainable construction was a key issue in the selection of London for
the 2012 Olympics. By promising to use sustainable concrete and other
sustainable materials it actually saved around 10 million pounds. Early
and continued communication within the participation pyramid done by a
specialised company made this possible.
13.2.4 Opportunities
At the writing of this edition, the waste in concrete of CO 2 , raw materials,
energy, and human resources going to other disciplines is gigantic. A report