Reimagining Concrete Infrastructure with Ultra-High Performance Concrete

Concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world, yet its production accounts for approximately 6–8% of global CO₂ emissions. At the same time, cracking, spalling, and steel corrosion continue to compromise the durability, resilience, and long-term sustainability of critical infrastructure. These challenges have driven the development of Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC), a new generation of cementitious material that offers exceptional strength, durability, and damage tolerance.

This seminar presents recent advances in understanding the failure mechanisms and structural behavior of UHPC members, along with newly developed design methodologies that enable more efficient and reliable use of the material. The emphasis is placed on the unique link between material and structural performance of UHPC. Building on these advances, a structural optimization framework is introduced to minimize both construction costs and embodied carbon emissions while maintaining high levels of performance and durability.

The seminar will further present life-cycle assessments comparing optimized UHPC bridge designs with real-world conventional concrete bridges, demonstrating how UHPC can simultaneously enhance sustainability, resilience, and affordability.

Finally, the talk will provide an overview of ongoing and future research aimed at delivering the next generation of low-carbon, high-performance, and economically viable infrastructure systems.

Joint Technical Presentation by American Concrete Institute (ACI) – BC Chapter and Structural Engineers Association of BC (SEABC)