Annual Concrete Conference 2022 Program

Mike Martin and Nick Fernstrom, McGough; Steve Hamvas, Stanley D. Lindsey and Associates, Ltd. (SDL)

Moderators: Justin Lashley and Maria Masten

Nearly five years in the making, RBC Gateway brings a new vision for a historic downtown Minneapolis site. At just under two acres, the site is situated at Hennepin, Nicollet, and Washington Avenues at what was once home to the famous Nicollet Hotel. This area is historically referred to as Bridge Square, because it's located at the southern foot of the Hennepin Avenue Bridge and is said to be Minneapolis’s original downtown. At the turn of the 20th century, the area was rebranded into the Gateway District to celebrate its status as the gateway into Minneapolis. Within its 1.2 million square feet, RBC Gateway will house the US headquarters of RBC Wealth Management, the Pohlad Companies, and a Four Seasons Hotel: Minneapolis’s first 5-star luxury hotel. The tower will also include 34 private residential condos, a public plaza with green space, and a street-level restaurant.

Tom Van Dam, NCE

Moderators: Justin Lashley and Maria Masten

National Road Research Alliance is leading the efforts to address climate change mitigation goals by supporting the use of alternative concrete paving mixtures that are claimed to have a lower global warming potential (GWP) at the time of construction with equal or better long-term performance compared to conventional low w/c ratio concrete paving mixtures currently used by MnDOT.

This presentation will identify the 16 unique concrete test sections installed and the challenges and successes of batching and placing these unique materials which include reduced cementitious (aggregate optimized) concrete, blended cements with higher limestone contents, alternative fly ash and natural pozzolans, ground glass, alkali activated materials, incorporation of carbon dioxide into concrete and others. This research will also examine the environmental impact of each material.

Andrea Schokker, American Concrete Institute and NEU

Moderators: Cathy French and Josh Edwards

This presentation will describe how uniting our industry is the key to a consistent message of the ways concrete can play a part in reducing carbon emissions across the globe. Topics will include resiliency, embodied carbon, importance of life cycle considerations, codes, test standards, validation of cutting-edge materials and processes as well as the role of NEU, an ACI Center for Carbon Neutral Concrete.

Andreas Tselebidis, Master Builders Solutions

Moderators: Cathy French and Josh Edwards

In the future we will live predominately in cities, which will require an environmentally focused construction with long-lasting structures—structures that will be able to resist deterioration and improve on impacts like ASR, chloride penetration, abrasion, sulfate attack, and carbonation. The emphasis of this presentation will be on ecologically efficient, sustainable, and durable concrete for day-to-day application as well as concrete designed for superstructures.

Matt Fadden, WJE

Moderators: Mike Murphy and Jon Willemssen

In the early morning hours of June 24, 2021, the eastern half of 12-story Champlain Towers South Condominiums collapsed, killing 98 residents of the 40-year-old building in Surfside, Florida. The collapse was initiated by punching shear failures of the flat plate slab supporting the pool deck above an underground garage. Six to ten minutes later, three columns on the south face of the L-shaped building failed near their base, and the eastern half of the building collapsed. The western half of the building survived but was subsequently demolished.

WJE was retained by attorneys representing the condominium association to determine the cause of the collapse and provide litigation support. WJE was one of several teams that investigated the collapse. WJE’s scope included review of design and construction records; review of videos and photographs taken before, during, and after the collapse; testing of construction materials and subsurface conditions (in coordination with the involved parties); structural analyses; and review of relevant codes and standards. In this presentation, Matt Fadden (from WJE’s South Florida Office) will describe WJE’s investigation and summarize the findings.

Tim Nelson, MnDOT; Mike Haggerty, Barr Engineering Co.; Tom Pullen, Brierley Associates; Aaron Rosenbery, Kraemer North America

Moderators: Mike Murphy and Jon Willemssen

This presentation will cover what the project is and why it is needed. It will also discuss the concrete mixtures and placing. There were a lot of construction techniques and materials that have not been used by MnDOT in this project.

Paul Kivisto, WSB; Shane Boone, BDI Testing

Moderators: Mike Hemstad and Dan Vruno

Inspection technologies including infrared (IR), ground-penetrating radar (GPR), high-resolution drone imaging (HRI), automated sonar chaining (SounDAR), and visual inspection and physical hammer soundings were used to inspect the top and bottom of an interstate bridge in Minneapolis. Results from each technology were recorded on different layers on CAD drawings so areas of greater deterioration for both top and bottom side of the bridge deck can be easily identified. This presentation will discuss each technology and how they can be used to help manage existing assets and to identify appropriate types of rehabilitation work for upcoming projects. Use of drones to help capture some of this project data will be included to minimize need for traffic control or underdeck snoopers.

Meghan Elliott, New History

Moderators: Mike Hemstad and Dan Vruno

Adaptive reuse of historic buildings needs more than engineering and construction to bring buildings back to life. At the intersection of the existing physical structure and the proposed new program are the myriad of historic preservation regulations at the local, state, and federal levels. Likewise, the proposed use that can be supported by the existing building often has a substantial impact on the sources of project financing. Meghan Elliott will provide an overview of historic preservation regulations and typical renovation project financing sources and their requirements, and will present case studies of certified historic reuse projects.