Our colleague Klaartje de Weerdt has been awarded the 2025 Outstanding paper award for the contribution:

Report of RILEM TC 301-ASR: Modelling the impact of SCMs, alkali level and w/b ratio on alkali concentration in pore solution

a collaborative work between the following authors: Klaartje de Weerdt, Maxime Ranger, Miriam E. Krüger, Ana Bergmann, Petter Hemstad, Andreas Leemann and Barbara Lothenbach.

The study evaluates how much Portland cement can be replaced by various supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs)—silica fume, metakaolin, fly ash, and slag—to keep the alkali‑metal concentration in the pore solution below 300 mmol L⁻¹. Using both the thermodynamic GEMS model and the empirical Taylor model, the authors predict required replacement levels and compare them with experimental pore‑solution data. Both models agree on the general trend that higher SCM replacement lowers the alkali concentration, but they diverge sharply in sensitivity to cement alkali content and water‑to‑binder ratio: the GEMS model yields almost constant replacement requirements (≈20 % SF, 20 % MK, 40–50 % FA, 60–70 % slag), whereas the Taylor model predicts a wide range (e.g., FA 7–58 % and slag 80–10 % when cement alkali rises from 0.47 to 0.93 %). The key difference lies in how each model treats alkali uptake by C–S–H phases.

RILEM recognises ten outstanding publications each year for their scientific excellence and impact on the research community. This distinction highlights the exceptional quality and significance of the honoured work.

Link to the original announcement: Link

Article: "Honorary membership in the Norwegian Concrete Association to Tor Arne Martius-Hammer and Terje Kanstad" (Link to article here.)

Original title: "Æresmedlemskap in Norsk Betongforening til Tor Arne Martius-Hammer og Terje Kanstad"

Article published in Byggeinduestrien (bygg.no)

Article: "Will let this bridge collapse to avoid other bridge collapses" (Link)

Original title: "Skal la brua kollapse for å hindre nye brukollapser"

Article published on NRK.no (24/10/2022)

Article: "The Precast concrete association strengthens collaboration with NTNU" (Link)

Original title: "Betongelementindustrien styrker samarbeidet med NTNU"

Article published 15/09/2022 in Byggeindustrien (bygg.no).

Our colleague Terje Kanstad has been awarded the FIB Honorary membership. See link to the 2020 fib awards (Link).

​​​​​​​

See the archive of older news and events here.

Our colleague Professor Mette Rica Geiker has been awarded the 2021 Prize by the Danish concrete association (Link). The prize is awarded during the yearly “Danish Concrete Day” that gathers more than 200 professionals from the construction industry.

The Danish Concrete association argues that: “Professor Mette Geiker is very good at collaborating and over the years has built up a large international network. In this way, she has represented the cement for concrete research in Denmark in the most distinguished way. She is therefore a role model who can inspire young people to understand how much a career in concrete research can lead to.​​​​​

Our colleague Professor Klaartje de Weerdt has been awarded the 2​​​​​​​021 RILEM Robert L’Hermite Medal. The Robert L’Hermite medal is granted to recognise her outstanding and influential research in concrete durability, with a particular focus on understanding the mechanisms of attack on reinforced concrete by chloride and carbonation, designing concrete to resist deleterious alkali-silica reactions, and the use of blended cements to produce more sustainable, highly durable concrete. Her many contributions to these research topics show proof of leadership and active participation in RILEM Technical Committees, she is Deputy Chair of RILEM TC ASR and has been Work Package leader in RILEM TC 258-AAA. Her research is supported by an extensive portfolio of EU, national, and industry sponsorship, and she has made important and highly cited contributions to the scientific literature in the areas of cement hydration and concrete durability.

(Link to RILEM announcement)