Concrete remains the major construction material used on projects in Australia and around the world. Whilst much work has been done on the material, its properties, and its component materials in the past, challenges are faced on projects where issues such as durability and sustainability need to be managed. Some of the themes engineers face cover cracking - when is a crack an actual crack and what is a design crack versus what is found in practice?

Following on, can these be made watertight? Dr Daksh Baweja will cover the current research and publications for engineers such as the Concrete Institute Z7 series on durability and the CCAA Guide to Concrete Construction. He will also discuss issues relating to sustainability with concrete and the important role of engineering in this debate. Dr Warren South will discuss new developments in low carbon concrete – what it means and why people want it. As a specialist in concrete binders, he will also consider low carbon cements and where we are at with developments. He will describe what can and cannot be achieved with concrete binders and the latest research applicable to engineering. He will then go on to discuss research needs with concrete and the role of SmartCrete and ensuing opportunities for our industry in Australia and how to get involved.

Speakers

Dr Daksh Baweja BEHons, MEngSc, PhD, FIEAust, CPEng, FACI

Director – Materials – BG&E, Industry Fellow – The University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Director – Industry Liaison – SmartCrete

Dr Daksh Baweja is Director - Materials for BG&E Consulting. He also has roles with UTS as Industry Fellow and with the SmartCrete Cooperative Research Centre as Director – Industry Liaison. His role in BG&E is within the Materials Group, a specialist group within a broader civil/structural consultancy that provides strategic advice in areas relating to civil engineering materials. He is a civil engineer with a Masters degree by research on durability of fly ash and other concrete types. He has a PhD in civil engineering on corrosion of steel reinforcement in concrete. Following a career in research, he went into the commercial concrete supply in various functional management roles prior to setting up his consultancy and commencing at UTS from 2009. Daksh is the author of over 120 research papers into aspects relating to concrete materials, structural design, concrete durability and serviceability in major infrastructure. He is a Past President of the Concrete Institute of Australia, Fellow of Engineers Australia and received an award for outstanding contributions to concrete technology from the American Concrete Institute in 2007. He received Life Membership of the Concrete Institute of Australia in 2013 and became a Fellow of the American Concrete Institute in 2014 and was Chair of the Concrete Institute of Australia organising committee for the Concrete 2019 Biennial conference in Sydney.

Dr Warren South BMET, PhD, FIEAust, CPEng

Chief Executive Officer – SmartCrete

Dr Warren South has worked in the heavy construction materials industry for over 25 years. He started his working career in cement in 1985 with Blue Circle Southern Cement at Berrima where he worked on the development of cement and concretes specifically for high durability applications such as the immersed tube units for the Sydney Harbour Tunnel and other important infrastructure projects. In 1996, he moved to New Zealand to become Technical Manager for Golden Bay Cement. During this time he led the development of cements specifically for use in the South Pacific, dealing with three different Standards regimes also lead the development of inorganic polymer binders for concrete. Moving back to Australia, he gained his doctorate in Civil Engineering from the University of Wollongong in 2010, dealing with the performance of cements based on natural pozzolanic materials available in New Zealand, the outcomes of which are seeing commercial reality. Warren was previously the Director – Research and Technology for the industry organisation -Cement Concrete and Aggregates Australia. He maintains an active focus on addressing sustainability and resilience in terms of the cement and concrete industry and is a strong advocate for the positive contributions that concrete can make to the durability of the built environment. Warren is also an Associate Professor (Honorary) in Civil Engineering at the University of Wollongong, Adjunct Associate Professor, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology at the University of Technology – Sydney, and a member of the National Council of the Concrete Institute of Australia.