56th BetonTage congress: Shaping change sustainably
On the theme of „Shaping Change“, the congress to be held from 7 to 9 February 2012 at Edwin-Scharff-Haus in Neu-Ulm will inform attendees of the latest technical, legal and economic trends in the industry whilst presenting possible solutions to enable sustainable change. This announcement summarizes the congress program.
Focus on structural precast
In keeping with a long-established tradition, a major part of the technical program will be dedicated to structural precast. To highlight key aspects in this area, the Structural Precast 1 panel will include references to selected built examples, detailed information on fire safety design, and contributions regarding the planning and design of facades. Innovative technical solutions, such as with respect to optimizing the concrete-concrete bond or the performance of the reinforcement, will be discussed in the Structural Precast 2 panel.
The Concrete in Structural Engineering panel will concentrate on discussing the implications of the Eurocode 2 (EC2) for designing structures with precast elements. The „EC2 Pilot Project“ has already resulted in initial practical experience. The Eurocode will also result in changes and amendments regarding reinforcement design, which will be discussed on the basis of specific examples.
Specific research outcomes
The Application-oriented Research for Concrete and From Research to Practice panels will deal with the innovation potential offered by concrete. These panels will provide a platform for discussing latest advancements in concrete technology, such as with regard to functionally graded concrete, which opens up new prospects for resource-saving construction methods, and the latest experience with Celitement, an innovative, environmentally friendly binder that has been produced and tested in a pilot plant since mid-2011.
The panel on Lightweight Concrete will also present interesting solutions resulting from current research, for instance in the areas of impermeable lightweight concrete and multi-layer textile-reinforced concrete designs.
Precast elements in the sustainability debate
To an increasing extent, the competitive environment is determined by the aspect of sustainability. The second-day plenary session will look more closely at the interdependence between the sustainability strategy adopted by the Federal government and the situation in the concrete industry. The introduction of the new Construction Products Regulation also creates a framework for building with precast elements that needs to be considered when discussing sustainability issues.
Momentum for civil engineering
Sustainability also plays an increasingly important part in Road Construction, Landscaping and Gardening, as will be evidenced by selected speeches to be held in this panel. For instance, the results of the latest environmental impact comparison of pavement designs with various surfaces will be presented. In addition, producers will be informed of what „sustainable building“ means to landscape architects and public-sector clients.
There will also be a panel dedicated to Pipeline Construction and Drainage Technology, which will demonstrate possible applications for temporarily flowable, self-compacting infill materials composed of soil and soil substitutes and report on the experience gained with monolithic box culverts made of reinforced concrete.
Cast stone in practice
Due to the great interest experienced in 2011, this year‘s congress will again include a panel on Cast Stone, which will be held at the Edwin-Scharff-Haus congress center this time. Amongst other topics, presentations will deal with the requirements specified in Part 5 of the new DIN 18516 standard pertaining to cast-stone facades and the correct laying of products consisting of this material. In addition, the issue of appropriately linking design to execution will be discussed on the basis of a practical example.
Legal pitfalls and economic aspects
For the first time, the legal aspects of cases of damage will not be dealt with separately but directly in the individual, product-specific panels. By contrast, the Business and Law panel will again be held, dealing with latest case law regarding the liability for defects and personal consequences of the absence from work due to long-term sickness. This panel will also discuss the issue of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), which provide comprehensive information about the environmental characteristics of a product and create transparency. They are thus an appropriate marketing tool, which will be demonstrated using the example of an EPD for light wells.
Forum for innovations
The exhibition that complements the congress will establish direct contacts with all relevant representatives of the supplier industry. Precast producers will have the opportunity to receive comprehensive information on the products offered by their market partners. Exhibitors will present their latest developments in dedicated forums. The most outstanding innovations of the supplier industry will receive the 2012 Innovation Prize for Structural Concrete Products whilst being presented to the expert audience.
CONTACT
FBF Betondienst GmbH
Gerhard-Koch-Str. 2 + 4
73760 Ostfildern, Germany
Tel.: +49 711 32732-326
info@betontage.de
↗ www.betontage.de
