SDC Session #27 - May 6-7, 2010, Kansas City, Missouri
Join us in Kansas City, Missouri, May 6-7, 2010 for the SDC's Session #27.  The meeting will take place at the InterContinental Kansas City at the Plaza, which is just steps away from the popular Country Club Plaza entertainment district. A separate BIM strategic planning session will take place May 5-6, in conjunction with SDC Session #27.

SDC Session #27 will focus on performance concrete and the V2020 Repair Council meeting.  As always, there will be breakout sessions on industry hot topics, networking events, and Technology Showcases highlighting current emerging concrete technologies.

Meeting and hotel registration and additional details will be available soon at www.concreteSDC.org. 

SDC BIM Initiative
SDC will be holding a BIM (Building Information Modeling) strategic planning session on May 5-6, 2010, in conjunction with SDC Session #27, in Kansas City, Missouri, as part of Phase 1 of SDC's BIM initiative.  Telephone interviews on the use and importance of BIM will be held in mid-January.  These interviews, together with SDC's BIM survey conducted in mid-2009, will form the basis for a white paper published in the first quarter of 2010. Anyone interested in participating in the upcoming BIM telephone interviews should contact Michelle Anderson at michelle.anderson@nishkiandean.com or 503-445-8693.

Update on Performance Specifications
During SDC Session #26 in Denver, Mark Chrzanowski reported on ITG-8, Performance Criteria for Materials.  This presentation can be viewed by SDC members by clicking here.  Additionally, this fall, ACI established a new Committee 329, Performance Criteria for Ready-Mixed Concrete, with Mark serving as Chair. SDC continues to explore additional initiatives related to moving acceptance forward.  If you are interested in serving on this committee, please visit the ACI committee 329 page and find application instructions.

Self-Consolidating Concrete Formwork Pressure Research Final Report
This $385,000 research project (with 40% funding from SDC) is now complete.  Dr. Kamal Khayat presented the final report at SDC Session #26 in Denver, Colorado.  The final report will be available shortly by visiting this Web site:  SCC Formwork Pressure Final Report.  It is anticipated that this report will be helpful research information for ACI technical committees 237, Self-Consolidating Concrete and 347, Formwork for Concrete.

Vision 2020 Update
ACI Foundation President William Tolley signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation this fall, for research to develop a protocol for testing and comparison of various corrosion prevention technologies.  This first phase is funded with $250,000 of ACI Foundation funds that have been earmarked for this project.  The project will start immediately upon agreement of a detailed work plan and is expected to take two to three years. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will handle procurement and management of all subcontracted work, and SDC will provide oversight on behalf of the ACI Foundation.

SDC Work on Sustainability Helps Guide New Industry-Wide Effort
Earlier this year, American Concrete Institute President Florian Barth visited SDC Session #25 to report on a new, industry-wide collaboration for concrete sustainability which was, in part, a result of the trailblazing work of SDC on the topic.  To date, 26 concrete associations have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work towards aligning an industry message on concrete and sustainability.  Activities include technical (and education), marketing, and advocacy.  Current projects and activities of the partnership will be unveiled at a press conference during World of Concrete.

Thank you to all SDC members and participants who have helped make 2009 a successful year.  We wish a happy and safe holiday season to everyone!