The American Concrete Institute (ACI) will participate in the inaugural Big 5 Heavy exhibition in Dubai, UAE, next year, said Khaled Awad, the first president of the institute from outside the Americas, during his inaugural address in California.

As the leading world authority and resource on concrete, ACI has a long-standing history of bringing together concrete professionals from around the world for the development and dissemination of concrete technology.

Awad recently gave his first address as ACI president at the fall 2017 Concrete Convention and Exposition held at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, under the theme “Making Connections”.

At the event, he outlined some of the strategic accomplishments of ACI and specifically in the Middle East region.

"The Gulf Cooperation Council Standardization Organization, known as the GSO, recently signed a co-operation agreement with ACI," he stated.

"Specifically, the agreement provides permission to use the ACI 318 Building Code, the Specifications for Structural Concrete, and Building Code Requirements for Masonry Structures to develop a Gulf Building Code," he added.

Awad said the ACI will continue its outreach to the Middle East by taking part in the inaugural Big 5 Heavy exhibition and show, which will be held from March 26 to 28, 2018, at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

The ACI will also present The Concrete Essentials Seminar Series, a two-day educational event to give attendees at the Dubai event an in-depth look into topics like concrete durability, repair, and self-consolidating concrete.

Awad is the chairman and founder of Advanced Concrete Technology Services (ACTS), a third-party provider for geotechnical engineering, construction materials testing, and also the local sponsoring group of ACI for its certification programmes in the Middle East, said the institute. ACTS has offices in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar.

After serving a two-year stint as vice-president, Awad was elected as ACI President during the Spring Convention held earlier this year in Detroit, Michigan. Awad is the first ACI member from the Middle East to assume this role.

ACI recently established two editorial boards for the structural and materials journals. The formation of these boards will have a paramount impact on concrete research and concrete technology advancement, said the statement from the institute.

ACI student competitions have been initiated in Lebanon and Qatar. Similar student competitions will also take place in Egypt, India, and Pakistan before the year-end, it added.-TradeArabia News Service