PRESENTATION BY ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR MANU SANTHANAM

Concrete Developments and Trends in India

Report back

Visiting Associate Professor Dr. Manu Santhanam from the Department of Civil Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology Madras in India presented an interesting and informative session on the current trends in concrete construction in the sub continent.

Although the speaker has research interests in the fields of Special Concretes, Durability, Materials Characterization, and Non-Destructive Evaluation, he presented a broad overview of the current trends in construction methodology and type of projects in India.

The presentation showed some of the recent infrastructure projects that are amongst the largest in the world. Attendees were able gain first hand insight into the way many projects are still approached in India. The presentation made it clear that construction challenges in South Africa are by no means unique! 

However, when comparing the two countries in terms of cement and construction there is a vast difference. The total number employed in the industry (50 million) is more than the total population of South Africa, whilst the cement consumption is 220 million tons in India compared to only 12 million tons in SA.

The Western Cape Branch of the COncrete Society would like to thank Prof Santhanam and all atendees for making this a memorable event.