Canada was introduced to the unique and highly effective education style of ISCS in Edmonton on the 19th and 20th of July, when architects, contractors, specifiers and students stepped away from their projects and participated in Concrete North: Alberta Concrete Symposium. The symposium was held at University of Alberta‘s Donadeo Innovation Centre for Engineering Excellence and was co-sponsored by the Edmonton Chapter of Construction Specifications Canada and the Edmonton Construction Association.
The mix of real-time demonstrations with theory, provided by leading academics in the field, is ISCS’s secret to unprecedented success and makes it stand out from other training events. One of aims of ISCS is to create a better dialogue between all project team members that deal with concrete, and in so doing provide a more sustainable, resilient infrastructure.
The first day started with formwork construction and concrete placement using local commonly used resources, which were topics familiar to all the attendees. It was the introduction of Rattle Stick, a novel and highly effective finishing tool, which started the teaching portion of the event. Attendees where shown variations on techniques for finishing concrete and taught why finishing is such a crucial practice in creating resilient concrete systems.
The second day started with an introduction to the scientific concepts behind the applied topics covered on the first day, taught by Dr. Rae Taylor in Concrete 101. This course gave insight into why correct design and placement of concrete, performed by people with appropriate training, is so important. It also discussed what can happen when best practices are not followed, along with a few key ideas to consider when reading design codes.
Dr. Carlos Cruz followed with an overview of how the Romans made successful concrete, which has stood the test of time, and whether or not there is any way we can learn from those ancient techniques and recipies. Christopher Bennett, CSI, ISCS followed with an explanation of the term ‘healthy system’ and provided a big-picture view of how building services fit together and how the use of best practices can extend the life of a building while reducing initial costs and construction schedule demands.
Next, the event shifted back outside for more hands-on training with event sponsors HTC Floor Systems and Skudo. These two companies demonstrated polishing and protection techniques. Attendees were shown how to install a durable, finished architectural exposed floor a mere 23 hours after initial pour and placement, and provided contractor attendees the skills needed to apply these techniques on future projects.
After the slab was polished, the event concluded with a panel discussion, inspired by the recent article, ‘Changing the Language of Concrete,’ published in Construction Specifier Canada. This was not only a highlight of Concrete North, but also one of the main focuses of ISCS training. The discussion included the three presenters already mentioned, as well as Stan Sagert, a Gold Seal superintendent with event sponsor PCL Construction, and Keith Roberts, former president of CSC and CSI/CSC Fellow as well as architect and specifier for DIALOG. This discussion gave the diverse audience an opportunity to ask questions of others in their area, and to ask any lingering questions that can be harder to address during active construction projects.
The event was successful for everyone and the ISCS looks forward to their next training event in Canada. ISCS would like to thank their generous sponsors and partners again for making this event possible.