Concrete

Reading the heartbeat of the road

The Carbin app, from a Concrete Sustainability Hub researcher, promises users an unprecedented understanding of pavement quality.

February 28, 2019

Thomas Petersen has run numerous marathons, including the 2015 Boston Marathon.

Studying pavement from a marathon runner's perspective

A research assistant and avid runner, PhD candidate Thomas Petersen discusses his experience both researching and competing on pavement.

December 26, 2018

Fengdi Guo, a graduate student in the department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, is shown here working on the project.

Software tool could help architects design efficient buildings

MIT researchers develop inexpensive way to perform full lifecycle analysis of design choices as buildings are being planned.

September 5, 2018

“For buildings, placing too much emphasis on minimizing initial costs and not paying enough attention to the use phase can lead to higher costs, both environmentally and economically,” says Jeremy Gregory, executive director of the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub.

With buildings and infrastructure, it pays to take a life-cycle perspective

Concrete Sustainability Hub research shows life-cycle thinking has long-term environmental and economic payoffs.

March 30, 2018

“Our technology takes plastic out of the landfill, locks it up in concrete, and also uses less cement to make the concrete, which makes fewer carbon dioxide emissions,” says assistant professor Michael Short.

MIT students fortify concrete by adding recycled plastic

Adding bits of irradiated plastic water bottles could cut cement industry’s carbon emissions.

October 25, 2017

Researchers from the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub, the University of New Brunswick, and Oregon State University visited the Mactaquac Dam in New Brunswick, Canada, in August.

Investigating a big dam concrete problem

Researchers working to address concrete durability get a close look at the impacts of a chemical reaction known to cause structural problems.

September 13, 2017

Inspectors assess the damage to a home on the Florida coast following Hurricane Matthew, which struck in October 2016.

Building to better weather the storm

New dashboard developed by the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub helps builders calculate the breakeven cost of hazard mitigation in hurricane-prone areas.

June 13, 2017

Martin Schneider, chief executive of the German Cement Works Association and head of the Verein Deutscher Zementwerke e.V. (VDZ) Research Institute, presents during a meeting that brought leaders of cement and concrete industry organizations together at MIT.

Global cement meeting paves the way for worldwide collaboration

A recent meeting on the MIT campus laid the foundation for better coordination of global research relating to cement and sustainability.

March 2, 2017

Debris and damage from Hurricane Ivan in Pensacola, Florida, Sept. 17, 2004

New approach calculates benefits of building hazard-resistant structures

Calculation developed by MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub shows that when building in areas prone to natural disasters, it pays to make informed decisions.

December 21, 2016