We always hear that the construction industry is resistant to change and innovations that might increase quality and productivity. Why aren’t innovative products and practices more quickly adopted into concrete construction? Or are they? Last week at the Strategic Development Council (SDC) Concrete 2029 meeting there was a lot of discussion about innovations and why they are or are not adopted. Some examples given of productivity- and quality-boosting innovations that are now mainstream were laser screeds, modular formwork systems, and concrete pumps. Innovations that have not taken off were ultra-high performance concrete, self-consolidating concrete, and high-strength steel.
So it seems that, equipment innovations are adopted but there’s resistance to adopting new materials. Perhaps that’s because the materials typically would have to be specified or permitted by the designer while equipment—means and methods—are the contractor’s option. The contractor doesn’t need permission, designers and owners may not even know what equipment is used and don’t care. Whether or not innovative construction equipment or methods are adopted only depends on the contractor’s decision about whether it will contribute to his bottom line. That seems to point the finger at the codes and specifications as the bottleneck and that is one of the priorities for Concrete 2029 with its emphasis on the Concrete Technical Operating System (CTOS).
The definition of this that Concrete 2029 has adopted is “The Concrete Technical Operating System (CTOS) is the technical environment in which concrete structures are designed, built, maintained, renewed, and decommissioned.” A white paper on the CTOS is being prepared by Jim Toscas, formerly executive director or president of several important industry associations, including ACI, PCI, and PCA. He writes that this definition is meant to be “comprehensive, including codes, standards, regulations, conventions, education, training, certification, publications, web-based information resources, computer tools, and technologies used to conduct and support these activities in a manner that provides for life safety, durability, resilience, sustainability, maintainability, and economy.”
It’s that last part that is different than where we are today. Rather than just looking at the minimum necessary for life safety, the goal is to incorporate durability, resilience, sustainability, maintainability, and economy into the requirements for concrete structures. Getting the American Concrete Institute to adopt such a standard will be difficult and time-consuming, but that is the goal. Stay tuned.