Head of Civil Engineering & Built Environment Group at University of Hertfordshire Director of Centre for Engineering Research
Back in the UK after few very interesting and thought provoking days at RILEM Association Spring Convention 2024. Many thanks to Liberato Ferrara 's team. An amazing organising committee! Thanks for the hospitality! The event was a good chance to meet friends and colleagues and to get the discussions going. Three key take home messages (for me at least): ❗️1. We have discussed too much for the needed to "change" and the "shift to sustainability". It is time for action! "The net zero needs to be built. We can built it together!" (José Andrade, 2024)! ❗️2. We cannot do No1 above in isolation. We need to share (and share widely) resources. That goes for both expertise and laboratory facilities! ❗️3. Rapid urbanisation rates are a reality; trying to ignore it, is pointless. Equally, we cannot raise the finger (around CO2 and climate change) to developing societies. It is our duty as engineers and scientists to find ways to support development within the sustainability framework. Looking forward for the new challenges and future collaborations ahead! #RILEM #research #collaboration #sustainable_development #sustainability #netzero #upcycling
Full Professor of Structural Analysis and Design. Rector's Delegate for the relations with Latin America. Chair of the Civil Engineering Degree Program.
With Giovanni Muciaccia day 5 of 5. The RILEM Association Spring 2024 convention and conference on Advanced construction material and processes for a carbon neutral society has successfully been concluded. Two days of standing committee meetings, six technical committee meetings, three days of conference with two inspiring keynote lectures (thanks Agnieszka Bigaj-van Vliet and José Andrade) and the two Colonnetti medalist Rob Wolfs and zhenming li lectures, 140 technical contributions presented, 16 parallel sessions hosted in the prestigious venue of Palazzo Mezzanotte, former housing the Milan Stock Exchange with 200 registered attending delegates from 30 different countries engaged to find a common language to nurture with energy the ecosystem of sustainability. A collective achievement of our awesome local organizing committee Politecnico di Milano | Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile e Ambientale. Estefania Cuenca Asensio Francesco Lo Monte Niki Trochoutsou Davide di Summa Sriram Kompella Niranjan Prabhu K BIN XI (freshly promoted Doctor of Philosophy) Giacomo Rizzieri Andrea Marcucci Laura Corti Marco Davolio Zhewen Huang Francesco Soave Yara Alzoubi Yusuke Nagai Gabriele David Bocchino Elifsu Balcı Michele Delconti ... posing in front of the aere perennius monumentum (credits to Patrick Bamonte for the Horatius quote). Once more a big thank to our sponsors PENETRON ITALIA and Penetron International Mapei Cemex Bekaert Gruppo Grigolin RIMOND and Kerakoll Group for their generous support and to CTE Collegio dei Tecnici della Industrializ. Edilizia for the effective collaboration in the organization of the event.
