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Conference Topics

This conference focusses on Innovative Construction Materials and Processes for Sustainable Buildings and Infrastructure.

⦁    Innovation: nanotechnology, responsive polymers, active control…
⦁    Materials: cementitious, non-cementitious, natural building materials …
⦁    Processes: mixing, pumping, casting, 3D printing …
⦁    Sustainability: carbon footprint, preservation of raw materials, durability, re-use, recycling, demountable structures, LCA…
⦁    Buildings: assessment, preservation, rehabilitation, strengthening, energy, indoor climate…
⦁    Infrastructure: structural behaviour, robustness, assessment, repair…

Special Sessions

⦁    Non-destructive characterisation of construction materials and processes
⦁    Bituminous materials: characterisation modelling and analysis tot support circular economy
⦁    Fire safety challenges of sustainability

Ghent City

The conference will take place in Ghent, Belgium. As can be found on Tripadvisor “Ghent's city center is a pedestrian area that is like a museum to early Flemish architecture and a testament to the city's medieval might. Impressive Gothic sites, such as dramatic St. Bavo's Cathedral and the Castle of the Counts, inspire awe.” Not convinced? Read this recent article in the Washington Post!

In order to encourage networking and lively discussions, we aim only at in person presentations (i.e. no possibility to join online).

Meetings Monday and Tuesday 

On Mondays and Tuesdays, the RiLEM meetings take place at the technology park of the university (Technologiepark 60, 9052 Zwijnaarde). This location is just outside the Ghent city ring road and can be reached by car (paying parking on campus) or by public transport departing from Gent Sint Pieters station. 

• Bus 70 takes you straight to the campus.
• Buses 48, 49, 71, 481 and tram T3 will take you right next to the campus. More info can be found at www.delijn.be/nl/routeplanner/
  

Conference Wednesday and Thursday

The conference itself on Wednesday and Thursday will take place at Tweekerkenstraat 2 in Ghent. 
This venue is in the centre of Ghent and can be reached by car (nearest car park is Sint-Pietersplein) or on foot from most Ghent hotels. 

• Please note in Ghent city centre there is a low emission zone. If you come by car, check whether your car is allowed to enter this zone to avoid fines (https://stad.gent/en/mobility-ghent/low-emission-zone-ghent). 

Celebration Magnel Laboratory on Friday 

On Friday, the celebration of the centenary of the Magnel laboratory will take place at the UGent technology campus. (Technologiepark 60, 9052 Zwijnaarde). This location is just outside the Ghent city ring road and can be reached by car (paying parking on campus) or by public transport departing from Gent Sint Pieters station. 

• Bus 70 takes you straight to the campus.
• Buses 48, 49, 71, 481 and tram T3 will take you right next to the campus. More info can be found at www.delijn.be/nl/routeplanner/
  

Keynote Speakers

Prof Maria Juenger

Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, USA

Title: Addressing workability challenges with calcined clays

Dr. Maria Juenger is a Professor and Ernest Cockrell, Jr. Centennial Chair in Engineering #2 in the Fariborz Maseeh Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Juenger’s teaching and research focus on materials used in civil engineering applications, with an emphasis on chemical issues in cement-based materials. Dr. Juenger is a fellow of the American Concrete Institute (ACI) and the American Ceramic Society (ACerS) and currently serves as Vice President of ACI. Dr. Juenger received her B.S. degree in Chemistry and Spanish from Duke University and Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Northwestern University. After completing her Ph.D., she was a postdoctoral researcher in Civil Engineering at the University at California, Berkeley before coming to the University of Texas at Austin.

Prof. Liberato Ferrara

Professor of Structural Analysis and Design, Politecnico di Milano, Italy

Title: A holistic approach to material concept and structural design with advanced cement based materials: a pathway to the decarbonisation of the built environment

Dr. Liberato Ferrara is a Professor of Structural Analysis and Design, the Rector’s delegate for relations with Latin America and Scientific director of the Laboratory for Testing Materials, Buildings and Structures. He was a Fulbright visiting scholar at the Center for Advanced Cement-Based Materials at Northwestern University in Illinois and an invited lecturer at Beijing Jiaotong University. Dr. Ferrara has been involved in several FP7, Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe projects. He has coordinated bilateral projects between Italy and South Korea, India, Israel and Germany. He has been an active member of several international committees within ACI and RILEM. He chaired the ACI TC 544 - Fiber Reinforced Concrete and received Delmar L Bloem Distinguished Service Award in 2020. His research interests span advanced cementitious composites, self-healing concrete, 3D printing with cementitious materials, and sustainability. His expertise encompasses experimental research on material properties, numerical modelling, and structural applications.

Prof Ana Brás

Full Professor of bio-materials for infrastructure, School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, Liverpool John Moores University, UK

Title: Nature-inspired innovations: bio-based materials for resilient buildings and structures.

Professor Ana Bras is a Civil Engineer, CEng, FICE, PhD, with 20 years of experience in R&D and Consultancy on bio-based solutions for buildings and structures. She is a Full Professor of Bio-materials for infrastructure at the School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment and is the Deputy Director of the Built Environment and Sustainable Technologies (BEST) Research Institute, Liverpool John Moores University (UK). By combining civil engineering, materials and microbiology expertise she established a research group on bio-based composites with self-healing behaviour, with a focus on durability of infrastructure. Ana has generated over £3 million in direct external research funding. She is Institution of Civil Engineers Policy Fellow for the development of the UK carbon-neutral infrastructure plan and is she is the chair of RILEM TC BEC (Bio-stabilised earth-based construction: performance-approach for better resilience).

Prof. Paulo B. Lourenco

Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minho, Portugal and ICOMOS ISCARSAH President

Title: Built Cultural Heritage and earthquakes: More than 1000 shaking table tests, the new European code and applications.

Dr. Paulo B. Lourenco is professor at the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minho, Portugal. He is experienced in non-destructive testing, advanced experimental and numerical techniques, innovative repair and strengthening techniques, and earthquake engineering. He has acted as consultant for over 100 monuments and at 20 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. He has been revision leader of the European masonry code (EN 1996-1-1) and coordinator of the Master on Structural Analysis of Monuments and Historical Constructions. He is editor of the International Journal of Architectural Heritage and author of “Historic Construction and Conservation” and “Finite Element Analysis for Building Assessment”, Routledge (2019 and 2022). He has been awarded an ERC Grant to develop an integrated seismic assessment approach for heritage buildings. He is currently coordinator of an MSCA doctoral network on sustainable building lime applications.

Assoc. Prof. A. (Katerina) Varveri

Associate Professor of Chemomechanics of Infrastructure Materials, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands

Title: Engineering sustainable and durable paving materials through chemomechanical optimization

Dr. A. (Katerina) Varveri is an Associate Professor of Chemomechanics of Infrastructure Materials and Section Head of Biobased Structures and Materials in the Civil Engineering and Geosciences Faculty at Delft University of Technology. Her research focuses on the environmental impacts of material performance, focusing on the chemomechanical properties and durability of paving materials under complex and interacting environmental conditions. Using advanced physico-chemical characterization methods, chemometrics, machine learning, and modeling techniques, she aims to improve road infrastructure durability. Dr. Varveri also investigates bio-based alternatives to bitumen for sustainable pavements. She actively contributes to the field, serving as Secretary of the APSE, Deputy Chair of RILEM Technical Committee 295-FBB, and as a Steering Committee member of EATA.

Dates and submission

Save the dates:

13-14 April 2026: RILEM Meetings (Standing Committees & Technical Committees) at campus Ardoyen, Zwijnaarde-Ghent

15-17 April 2026: RILEM Spring Convention

17 April 2026: Event for the 100th Birthday of The Laboratory Magnel-Vandepitte

Tentative Timetable spring convention Ghent 2026:

Registration

Information about the registration will follow in due time

Prices

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Scientific Committee