Better, smarter, and stronger!

Abstract

As we head to Maastricht for the fib 2017 Symposium, we also turn our minds to the International fib Congress in 2018 in Melbourne, Australia! This fifth congress will be held from October 6 to 12, 2018 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, which is superbly located on the banks of Melbourne's Yarra River. The Congress will run over 6 days, featuring a 4-day technical program with a wide array of technical presentations and papers, and a chance for the many fib committees to meet face to face while experiencing one of Australia's most vibrant cities. The Congress will also stage the 2018 fib Awards for Outstanding Concrete Structures to recognize the magnificent international structures that demonstrate the versatility of concrete as a structural medium. The theme “Better-Smarter-Stronger” is dedicated to bringing together leaders and practitioners in the concrete industry from around the globe and is chosen because in an ever-changing global construction market, approaches to concrete supply, design, specification, and construction are required to be better to meet new challenges and exceed the expectations of demands. In this respect, our researchers, suppliers, designers, and contractors need to be smarter to be able to achieve new and innovative ways of competing with different materials, global trends, and new philosophies, to meet these requirements. This then requires us to not only be constructing stronger concrete structures, but also maintaining a strong belief in the importance and relevance of concrete in the ever-changing and evolving worldwide construction market. The call for abstracts, across a wide range of specialist themes, was opened in May 2017 and will remain open until the end of October 2017; we anticipate a large number of quality abstracts to be submitted from all around the world for a truly international event. Already the Congress has some outstanding keynote speakers, who will each exemplify how concrete is being designed, specified, supplied, and constructed. These include: Professor Frank Dehn, Germany, fib Presidium Member and Commission 4 Concrete and Concrete Technology Chair. He is a Professor for Multifunctional Construction Materials at the Institute for Mineralogy, Crystallography, and Material Science at Leipzig University and head of the Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Leipzig, Germany. His main research topics are related to constitutive laws for concrete durability and mechanical concrete properties. Professor Koichi Maekawa, Japan, Co-chair of the Organizing Committee of the fib PhD Symposium 2016 in Tokyo. He is a Distinguished Professor in School of Engineering at The University of Tokyo, Japan. His main research work includes nonlinear mechanics and multiscale modeling of structural concrete and developing the life assessment of concrete-based infrastructures. Professor Campbell Middleton, UK, the Laing O'Rourke Professor of Construction Engineering at Cambridge University. Prior to Cambridge, he worked for nearly 10 years in professional practice in infrastructure construction and design in bridge engineering, strategic policy developments in infrastructure, and smart technologies. His research interests cover smart sensors and structural health monitoring, advanced failure and risk analysis, asset management, nondestructive testing, additive manufacturing, and applications of computer vision to civil engineering and new materials. Professor Michael Thomas, Canada, Professor and Department Chair in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of New Brunswick. His main research interests are concrete durability and the use of industrial by-products, including pozzolans and slag. His studies on durability have included alkali-silica reaction, delayed ettringite formation, sulfate attack, deicer-salt scaling, carbonation, chloride ingress, and embedded steel corrosion. Dr Andy Davids, Australia, Design Director, Tall Buildings for Aurecon. He works closely with clients, creating holistic design and engineering that incorporates new developments in material sciences and construction methods to produce optimal tall building solutions. He is one of only a handful of internationally renowned experts who design super tall buildings. The Congress also presents the perfect forum for organizations and companies actively involved in the building and construction industry to present their products and services. There are many attractive sponsorship and advertising opportunities available to increase the visibility of any company's brand to their key target markets ranging from small to high-level packages. A comprehensive Trade Exhibition will run concurrently with the Congress. This Exhibition will showcase the latest and best in the global building and construction industry. The Exhibition will also provide delegates and exhibitors with excellent opportunities to network in a favorable environment that provides a central and energized meeting place for all participants. The Australian concrete industry is looking forward to meeting the rest of the world in October 2018, and accordingly, we invite the whole of the fib family to join us in Melbourne for what we hope will be the biggest fib Congress in history. For all details please visit: www.fibcongress2018.com Stephen Foster