Concrete Sustainability Hub

Left to right: Roland Pellenq of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), Katerina Ioannidou of the MIT Energy Initiative, and Franz-Josef Ulm of CEE have developed a detailed understanding of the nanoscale forces at work as cement hardens — a critical step toward developing stronger, longer-lasting, less carbon-intensive concrete for “greener” construction in the future.

Designing climate-friendly concrete, from the nanoscale up

New understanding of concrete’s properties could increase lifetime of the building material, decrease emissions.

July 21, 2016

Jamal Abdul Nasser Traffic Circle in Amman, Jordan

Improving pavement management in Jordan

Concrete Sustainability Hub researcher Omar Swei is working to help Jordanian planners optimize maintenance on state-owned highways.

July 11, 2016

MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub principal investigators Franz-Josef Ulm and Roland Pellenq and research scientist Mehdi Akbarian run a pavement-vehicle interaction test that simulates a vehicle moving over pavement. The test determines excess fuel consumption induced by pavement material and structural properties.

Well-maintained roadways improve fuel efficiency

Research aims to encourage decision makers to think of infrastructure as part of the solution in a carbon constrained environment.

February 29, 2016

$This image of a simulated concrete sample shows the "packing fraction" which describes the fraction of the volume that is filled with solid material. In this case, the average packing fraction is 0.52. Colors indicate the variations within the sample, ranging from less than 0.4 to more than 0.64. The size of the cube is 0.6 microns (millionths of a meter).$

Riddle of cement’s structure is finally solved

Findings may guide development of formulas to make the material more durable, less CO2-intensive.

February 8, 2016

Cooling towers of a nuclear power station

At the nanoscale, concrete proves effective for nuclear containment

New research shows concrete is a strong choice for the long-term confinement of nuclear waste.

November 19, 2015

Dirty physics

Franz-Josef Ulm explores the physics of dirty materials and messy systems to advance sustainable infrastructure and clean energy technology.

August 13, 2015

Hamlin Jennings, Concrete Sustainability Hub principal investigator, dies at 68

A leader in the field of cement chemistry, Jennings developed the first fully quantitative model of the nanostructure of CSH, the major component of hydrated cement.

July 14, 2015