SmartCrete Research Director Vute Sirivivatnanon Goes on Tour with CIA
Date and Time: 4 - 18 November 2026 (9:00am - 12:00am)
Location: Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth
Durability remains one of the most important considerations for Australia’s concrete structures and infrastructure. This CIA roadshow will take a past, present and future look at concrete durability – examining what we have learnt from the performance of existing structures, the challenges facing asset owners and practitioners today, and how research, materials and design approaches are evolving for the structures of tomorrow. The program will explore current research and industry practice in assessing, maintaining, repairing and extending the service life of existing concrete, and lessons learnt.
Looking into the future, the roadshow will consider how the drive towards lower-carbon concrete, greater resilience and longer service life is changing the way durability needs to be understood, specified and delivered. Presentations will aim to bridge research and practice with commercial applications, examining emerging materials and technologies alongside the practical challenges of specifying durability requirements, translating design intent into construction, managing durability risks on projects, and demonstrating long-term performance.
Along with our durability expert presenters who will travel the country, and our local practitioners presenting at each venue, we will bring together researchers, designers, asset owners, contractors, material suppliers and durability specialists, to ask an important question: how can we apply the lessons of the past and the knowledge of today to deliver more durable, resilient and sustainable concrete structures for the future?
Design for Low Carbon Concrete Structures: The pathway toward Net Zero in concrete industry requires engineers to maintain the design of concrete structures for sustainability to meet cost, durability and environmental goals, with emphasis on lowering the carbon footprint of concrete infrastructure without compromising on cost and design life. The speaker will address these challenges from his experiences in structural design, construction quality control, innovative concrete mix design and well control concrete production. The ready availability of low carbon concrete (LCC) enables engineers to optimise structural design and appropriate construction technologies to achieve low carbon concrete structures. Low carbon concrete specifications have been developed for NSW Government and its agencies to meet the deemed-to-satisfied durability requirements in AS 3600:2026, AS 5100:2024 and relevant road authorities’ specifications, and the guide to the commercial supply of low carbon concrete by MECLA and CCAA’s low carbon rating system will be discussed. SmartCrete CRC is currently supporting the concrete industry in advancing technologies in sustainable concrete, engineered solutions and asset management and some of the relevant outcomes with high TRL will be highlighted. They include the development and use of new and existing SCM for LCC, HPC, UHPC, performance-based concrete specifications, and the use of recycled materials, and advances made in precast concrete and fastening/connectors technologies, sewer inspection robots and digital twin technology in asset management.
Durability Design in Practice: Real World Applications: Concrete infrastructure is expected to perform for 100, 120, even 300 years – but how does durability design actually translate from standards and models into structures that last? The presentation will explore how durability design principles are applied in practice – and where theory meets the realities of construction, materials variability, and site conditions. This session moves beyond the codes to examine real project case studies, common pitfalls, and practical lessons learned from delivering durability outcomes on some of Australia’s most significant infrastructure projects. Attendees will gain practical insights into bridging the gap between design intent and long-term asset performance
CPD
This seminar provides 3 hours of CPD applicable to Engineers Australia members. This seminar is also recognised CPD for members of other professional bodies with annual CPD obligations. Participants should retain their attendance confirmation as evidence for their CPD records.
Visit the event pages:
28 - 29 October 2026 (9:00am - 5:00pm)
Conference
Melbourne, Sofitel
