The Society exists to develop and impart knowledge and advance concrete. A key part of how this is achieved is through our Technical Committee. Here the Technical Committee convenors Claire Ackerman (Chief Executive) and Peter Hewlett (Honorary member and Fellow) provide an update.
What is the Technical Committee?
The Technical Committee is at the heart of all the technical publications produced by the Concrete Society as well as assisting on other technical related initiatives.
Previously the Society had Standing Committees, these have been replaced with one main Technical Committee that is steered by three co-chairs. Each co-chair oversees a key area:
- Materials: Chris Clear (independent consultant)
- Design & Construction: Owen Brooker (Structronix)
- Repair & Reuse: Enda McKenna (McFarland Consulting)
All Committee members are members of the Society and represent a wealth of industry expertise including representatives from standards committee such as Eurocode 2, B/517 and TC104, and key industry groups such as fib.
The Technical Executive Committee reports directly to the Council of the Concrete Society. This governance is an essential part of ensuring the credibility and independence of Society guidance documents.
Review programme
Since the Technical Committee reformed in August 2024, it has been working to review and prioritise the updates needed to the existing portfolio of technical guidance. Based on the initial assessment of the 50 technical reports we are now developing a programme to review, update and in some cases withdraw reports.
New guidance
At the forthcoming meeting of the Technical Committee (September 2025) we will also be looking at topics for new guidance needed by the sector that will help achieve best practice, share knowledge and advance concrete.
New recruit
To ensure that the momentum that has been created is harnessed and that the Technical Committee is enabled to deliver, the Society is now recruiting for a Technical Director. Applications for this role are open until the end of August. Find out more at: https://lnkd.in/ezCZbBvf
What next
At the July Council meeting, Peter reflected on the progress made in the prior year and stated “The last year has been and still is a transformation involving contributions from Society members and staff, I suggest we can proceed with confidence about the future and feel a little bit proud. Our Technical Committee is a massive source of knowledge, experience, enthusiasm and a willingness to contribute. I think it fair to say the Society has at its disposal a unique technical capability.”
In the coming months, the Technical Committee will announce the new task groups that are forming to develop the latest technical guidance to share knowledge through our membership and our sector. Watch this space!
