December 2012, Issue 7. Editorial

Transcription

1 December 2012, Issue 7 Editrial... 1 In memriam Gerhard Seldacek... 3 Integratin f adaptatin t climate change int standards... 4 Wrkshp n the implementatin f the Eurcdes in Albania... 5 fib Mdel Cde Eurcdes seminar in Mntenegr... 7 fib Internatinal Sympsium Fcus n sustainability... 8 News frm JRC... 9 Editrial The first Eurpean Directive n public prcurement was published in 1971, but its practical applicatin cncerning the calculatin f civil engineering wrks prved t be very difficult, the reasn being a clause frbidding, fr a public tender, the rejectin f a tender fr the reasn that this tender was based n design standards in frce in a cuntry different frm the cuntry where the cnstructin wrks was t be built. Fr that reasn, it was decided in 1976 t undertake the develpment f Eurpean structural design cdes, mainly based n studies carried ut by internatinal scientific assciatins, which culd be widely recgnised fr the judgement f tenders. In the early 80s, the first dcuments called Eurcdes were published as prvisinal standards under the respnsibility f the Cmmissin f the Eurpean Cmmunities. After lengthy internatinal inquiries and after the adptin f the Single Eurpean Act (1986), an Agreement between the Cmmissin and the Eurpean Cmmittee fr Standardizatin (CEN) cncerning the wrk n Eurcdes fr the structural design f building and civil engineering wrks was adpted in The develpment f the Eurcdes was transferred t CEN in 1990 with a link t the Cnstructin Prduct Directive (CPD). CEN decided t publish the Eurcdes first as prvisinal Eurpean standards (ENVs), and then as Eurpean standards EN. The cnversin f ENV Eurcdes int EN Eurcdes started in 1998 after agreement f all Member States. EN 1990: Basis f Structural Design, was published by CEN n 24 th April 2002 with its Annexes A1 (design f buildings), B, C and D. This Eurcde was the result f the evlutin f Part 1-1 f ENV 1991 at the ENV stage: it became EN 1990, the Eurcde f Eurcdes. Cntinuing educatin and teaching in universities and engineering schls started seriusly after the publicatin f this first EN Eurcde. Independently f natinal wrkshps, internatinal actins (training sessins and wrkshps) were mainly rganized by the Eurpean Cmmissin (via JRC) and the main technical and scientific internatinal assciatins, inside and utside the EU. Frm 1996 and 2010, I gave persnally lectures n Eurcdes in Lebann, at the St. Jseph University, n the basis f the reliability thery. I taught the Eurcdes in Tunisia, at the University f Civil Engineering (ENIT), frm 2004 t Befre the publicatin f EN 1990, the first internatinal cnference devted t Eurcdes (ENV stage) was rganized in Switzerland (Davs) in 1992 by IABSE with mre than 500 participants. Very quickly after this cnference, an internatinal wrkshp was rganized by the Cmmissin in Brussels n 25 th June 1992 ( Examples f structures designed with Eurcdes ), t explain the bjectives f the Eurcdes and the rganizatin f their develpment. In 1996, IABSE rganized an internatinal cllquium in the Netherlands ( Basis f design and actins n structures Backgrund and applicatin f Eurcde 1, Delft, March 1996). The secnd very imprtant cnference was held in Malta n March, 2001, entitled Safety, risk and reliability Trends in engineering. Many cntributins included backgrund infrmatin n Eurcdes. A wrkshp was rganized directly by the Cmmissin in Barbads (lectures given by Prf. M. Fardis and myself) n February 2003 t The newsletter f CEN/TC 250 is available at Editrs Jean-Armand Calgar, Chairman f CEN/TC 250 Gergis Tsinis, University f Patras 1

2 cnvince engineers and experts t adpt and implement Eurcde 8 and, mre generally, the whle set f Eurcdes. On 11 th and 12 th Octber 2003, an internatinal cnference was rganized in Algiers n Risk management and Eurpean Standards, where the EN Eurcdes were already mentined in several cntributins. On 16 th t 22 nd May 2004, I taught the Eurcdes, and mainly Eurcde 2, in Vietnam (the first three days in Hani and the fllwing three days in H Chi Minh City) in tw universities, fr students, prfessrs and engineers, with a participatin f engineers and prfessrs frm Cambdia. On 13 th 17 th June 2005, several presentatins f Eurcdes 0, 1 and 2 were given in Turkey (Ankara) by Prf. M. Fardis, Dr. Bin Zha and myself, in the framewrk f an EU MEDA prgramme Supprt t the quality infrastructure in Turkey. In 2006, I gave lectures n the Eurcdes in Senegal (Dakar) frm 7 th t 8 th December 2006, in Algeria (Tlemcen) frm 18 th t 19 th Nvember and in Italy (Varese) n Nvember 2006 Eurcdes, Building the future in the Eur- Mediterranean area. Then, the beginning f the rganizatin f imprtant wrkshps n the use and implementatin f Eurcdes can be underlined. Year 2007 Structural rbustness sympsium, Sart Tilman University, Liège, Belgium, 5 February Year 2008 Eurcdes - Backgrund and applicatins - A disseminatin f infrmatin fr training wrkshp rganized by the Eurpean Cmmissin (JRC), Brussels, Belgium, February Engineering science and develpment f Maghreb Structural durability and Eurcde 8 Principles and applicatin in France wrkshp, Hammamet, Tunisia, March Risk in civil engineering and Eurcdes wrkshp, Brussels University, Belgium, 9 April Eurcdes A tl fr building safety and reliability enhancement wrkshp rganized by the Eurpean Cmmissin (JRC), Mscw, Russia, 9-10 Octber The new structural Eurcdes wrkshp rganized by LNEC and APEE (Assciaça Prtuguesa des Enghenieria de Estruturas), Lisbn, Prtugal, 26 Nvember Year 2009 EN Design f masnry structures wrkshp rganized by the Eurpean Cmmissin (JRC), Brussels, Belgium, 2-3 April The Eurcdes, general verview Past, present and future wrkshp rganised by the Eurpean Cmmissin, Bangkk, Thailand, April Eurcdes : structure, basic cncepts and further develpment wrkshp, Chisinau, Mldva, 3-5 Nvember 2009 Year 2010 The Eurcdes: a technical verview f current status and plans fr evlutin f the cdes, witihn the Russian Federatin Eurpean Cmmissin Regulatry Dialgue, Cnstructin Sub-Grup, Mscw, Russia, 3-4 March The BSI Eurcdes launch party, Lndn, UK, 31 March 2nd internatinal wrkshp n evaluatin f Eurcde 7, Pavia, Italy, April Jint IABSE-fib cnference Cdes in structural engineering, Dubrvnik, Cratia, 3-5 May Dynamics, structural and earthquake engineering: research and practice wrkshp, JRC Ispra, Italy, 16 July Fire design f structures wrkshp, Luxemburg, July Bridge design t Eurcdes wrkshp, Vienna, Austria, 4-6 Octber The first frum n GCC Unified Building Cde internatinal wrkshp, Dha, Qatar, Octber Eurcdes: training the trainers wrkshp rganized by the Eurpean Cmmissin (JRC) in cperatin with the Ministry f Reginal Develpment f the Russian Federatin, Mscw, Russia, 9-10 December Bratislava, Slvakia, Nvember Year 2011 Eurcdes and the Egyptian cnstructin industry harmnized Eurpean Standards fr cnstructin in Egypt, rganized by BSI in cperatin with EOS (Egyptian Standard Organizatin), Cair, Egypt, January Seismic design f buildings Wrkshp with wrked examples rganised by LNEC and JRC, Lisbn, Prtugal, February ISGSR 2011 Getechnical safety and risk internatinal cnference, Munich, Germany, 2-3 June Design f cncrete structures and bridges using Eurcdes internatinal wrkshp, Bratislava, Slvakia, September Implementatin f Eurcdes in Gergia wrkshp, Tbilisi, Gergia, September Design f cncrete buildings with Eurcde 2 wrkshp, Brussels, Belgium, Octber 2

3 Science and technlgy fr the develpment f Maghreb, Rabat, Mrcc, 8-9 December Year 2012 Invited presentatin f the Eurcdes, Tirana, Albania, May Achieving highest safety and technical quality f cnstructin, Twinning Mntenegr MN 10 IB FI 01, Pdgrica, Mntenegr, 9-10 July Bridge design with Eurcdes wrkshp, JRC Ispra, Italy,1-2 Octber Internatinal wrkshp n the reductin f seismic risk, Chlef / El Asnan, Algeria,10-11 Octber Structural fire design wrkshp with wrked examples, Brussels, Belgium, Nvember 2 nd cntact with the Ministry f Envirnment, Pdgrica, Mntenegr, December. Independently f internatinal actins fr the prmtin f Eurcdes, several cuntries have adpted and implemented a few, r the whle set, f Eurcdes as natinal standards. In cnclusin, the Eurcdes are internatinally recgnized as reference standards. My wish is that their architecture and cntent evlves during the next years, but withut revlutin and withut changes in their glbal architecture. They are the unshakable basis f ur present technical culture in civil engineering. I wish yu a very utstanding New Year Jean-Armand Calgar Chairman f CEN/TC 250 In memriam Gerhard Seldacek Gerhard Sedlacek Prf. Dr.-Ing. Dr.-Ing. h.c. Gerhard Sedlacek, frmerly prfessr fr structural steelwrk at RWTH Aachen University, died at the age f 72 n 1 February The prfessin and his great circle f friends murn tgether with his family the lss f a great persn, a reliable friend, an utstanding scientist and a talented engineer. We shall keep him in wrthy remembrance. Gerhard Sedlacek was brn in Rheinhausen in Nrth- Rhine Westphalia, als grew up and went t schl there. He passed his university entrance examinatin in 1959 at the Friedrich Krupp Grammar Schl in Duisburg. It is n surprise that these surrundings left their mark n the later steel engineer. After leaving schl, he studied cnstructin engineering at Karlsruhe TH (nw knwn as Karlsruhe Institute f Technlgy), where he cmpleted his diplma examinatin in the specialist field f structural engineering in His tutrs were renwned prfessrs with names like Steinhardt and Franz. During the next five years, he wrked as scientific assistant t Prf. Rik at the Institute f Structural Steelwrk, Berlin TU, and gained his dctrate there in 1968 with a thesis entitled Systematic presentatin f the bending and rtatin prcess fr prismatic bars with thin-wall crsssectins taking int accunt defrmatin f the sectin. Dr.-Ing. Gerhard Sedlacek began his practical activities in 1969 as a structural designer in MAN s Bridges Department in Gustavsburg, where he quickly gained prmtin. During the years 1971 t 1976 he was head f the Bridges Department at Krupp Industrie- & Stahlbau in Rheinhausen. It was in 1976 that Gerhard Sedlacek was appinted prfessr at RWTH Aachen University s Chair f Structural Steelwrk. His decades f pineering scientific wrk in his actual field f teaching, structural steelwrk, but als ther areas f cnstructin and indeed ther areas f engineering, e.g. the autmtive industry, have left a lasting impressin. Fr example, he was intensively invlved in the develpment f lading assumptins, wind engineering, earthquake safety, cnstructin materials, structural glazing and, in particular, new materials such as plymers and ultra-lightweight materials and the ways in which they culd be used in practice. While making sure that his Chair f Steel & Lightweight Metal Cnstructin cntinued t mve frwards, Prf. Sedlacek als ran tw cnsultancy practices in Aachen and Berlin successfully and set up the Centre fr Metallic Design (ZMB). The latter is a cllabratin between internatinally renwned research establishments and cntains all the facilities necessary fr large-scale tests. As prfessr emeritus, t, he cntinued t wrk untiringly fr his university, the ZMB and his tw 3

4 cnsultancies. He was fr many years a member f the Nrth Rhine-Westphalia Academy f Sciences, the German Structural Steelwrk Cmmittee (DASt), many standards cmmittees, DIN mirrr and crdinatin cmmittees, and CEN/TC 250 Structural Eurcdes. With intrepid ptimism, he supprted the German chairmanship f TC 250 fr many years and therefre made a huge cntributin t successfully turning the Eurpean pre-nrm f this first set f harmnized Eurpean rules fr the cnceptual and detailed design f structures int a Eurpean standard. As a cmmitted Eurpean, he was very keen n wrking clsely with the Eurpean Cmmissin, especially with the JRC in Ispra. He therefre helped t make sure that there was and still is extensive supprt fr implementing the Eurcdes in the Member States f the EU, and that the cdes are further simplified, harmnized and develped, and used internatinally. His painstaking attentin t detail and his wn brand f tenacity ensured that he als achieved the urgently needed crdinatin between the Eurcdes and the multitude f Eurpean standards fr cnstructin prducts. The Eurcdes are t be intrduced in Germany as technical cnstructin prvisins in this year; unfrtunately, he will n lnger be able t enjy that success. Gerhard Sedlacek als played a leading rle in the Eurpean Cnventin fr Cnstructinal Steelwrk (ECCS). He was a member f several cmmissins f this imprtant technical and scientific rganizatin fr many years, and was the chairman f TC 1 Safety and the Technical Management Bard fr many years. He had been the directr f the Eurpean Research Divisin since Like n ther, Gerhard Sedlacek prmted building with steel ver decades. It was in 2003 that the University f Liège awarded him an hnrary dctrate fr his services t research and teaching. The German Structural Steelwrk Assciatin (DSTV) presented him with the German Structural Steelwrk Award in 2004 in recgnitin f utstanding achievements that further industrial building with steel thrugh the nging develpment f technlgy r the imprvement f ecnmic efficiency. But despite all that, Prf. Sedlacek s pririties were his research and teaching duties as a university lecturer. His supprt fr the next generatin f academics in Aachen was legendary a fact verified by the remarkable number f high-calibre dissertatins that he persnally supervised, the large number f csupervisr rles he tk n and the brad range f scientific wrk carried ut by the Chair and in the ZMB. His cntributins have been invaluable t the wrld f steel cnstructin and many ther disciplines. They have led t cnsiderable prgress in many fields f engineering. Prf. Dr.-Ing. Dr.-Ing. h.c. Gerhard Sedlacek was an extrardinary persnality in a high scientific psitin wh enjyed great natinal and internatinal esteem. Thanks t his utstanding prfessinal skills, his impressive general knwledge and refreshing manner plus his inspiring mtivatin and untiring cmmitment, he was able t unite the academic and practical wrlds in a particularly unique way. Gerhard Sedlacek will remain a rle mdel fr us. We are grateful that we were able t share in part f his life. Prf. Dr.-Ing. Hrst J. Bssenmayer Frmer CEN/TC 250 Chairman Integratin f adaptatin t climate change int standards Fcus n the transprt, energy and buildings/cnstructin sectrs, 24 Octber 2012, Brussels The 2009 White Paper 1 n adapting t climate change raised the need t increase the resilience f prductin systems and physical infrastructure t climate change. The Eurpean Cmmissin is preparing an EU Adaptatin Strategy, t be adpted in Spring One f the elements the Cmmissin is cnsidering t include in the Strategy is the rle f standards fr adaptatin t climate change. The Cmmissin is cperating clsely with the CEN-CENELEC management centre and industry stakehlders. A wrkshp fr standards in the transprt sectr has already been rganised in June 2012 and received psitive feedback. Therefre a fllw-up wrkshp was rganised, bringing tgether stakehlders and experts n standards in the transprt, energy and buildings/cnstructin sectr. The bjectives f the wrkshp were t: get tgether experts frm the three sectrs and identify thse pririty standards that shuld include resilience t the adverse effects f climate change; discuss pririty criteria fr selecting relevant standards; identify crss-cutting issues and share gd practices; supprt mapping exercise t identify relevant standards fr these sectrs, currently being set up by CEN-CENELEC and the Cmmissin, fr example by identifying and updating n nging actins fr standards at sectral level. 1 FIN:EN:PDF 4

5 Wrkshp n the implementatin f the Eurcdes in Albania A meeting devted t the prcess f adptin f the th th Eurcdes in Albania was rganized n the 15 and 16 f May It was rganised in the framewrk f the Cmpnent III entitled Review and imprvement f building cdes in Albania f the Albania Disaster Risk Mitigatin and Adaptatin Prject AL-DRMAP, supprted by the Wrld Bank and mnitred by the Ministry f Public Wrks and Transprt as well as the General Directrate f Civil Emergency f the Ministry f Interir f Albania. The meeting was rganised at the Htel Mndial and at the Civil Engineering Faculty in Tirana by the cnstructin and cnsulting cmpany UTS-01, whse administratr is Mr Markel Baballëku. Mr Ilir Qerfzi, Directr f the Cnstructin Plitics Directrate, Ministry f Public Wrks and Transprt; Eng. Luigj Aleksi, Chairman f the Bard f the Albanian Builders Assciatin; Eng. Maksim Muçi, Executive Directr f the Albanian Builders Assciatin. The meeting was als attended by a cnsiderable number f structural designers f varius cnstructin cmpanies, as well as prfessrs, assistants and graduate students, mstly frm the Civil Engineering Faculty f Tirana. Key speakers were Prf. Jean-Armand Calgar, Prf. Nik Pjani, Markel Baballëku, bth prfessrs at the Civil Engineering Faculty f Tirana, experts f the UTS01 cnsulting cmpany and Peter I. Yanev, expert f the Wrld Bank. First day, 15 May Prf. Pjani pened the meeting, by presenting firstly the special guests and participants, and describing the wrk accmplished by the UTS-01 cmpany in the framewrk f the abve-mentined prject. After that, the meeting cntinued in tw sessins, with tw key-nte lectures by Prf. Calgar: 1. Eurcdes: a glbal view - present and future; 2. Eurcdes in use: examples. At the end f the first sessin, Mr. Ernest Nka held a shrt speech, appreciating the wrk dne frm UTS-01 and expressing the full engagement f the Ministry f Public Wrks and Transprt and f the Gvernment f Albania, in rder fr the prcess f adptin f the structural Eurcdes in Albania t cntinue successfully, based n EU standards. He had als a shrt discussin with Prf. Calgar. Pster f the meeting As a special guest, Prf. Jean-Armand Calgar, Chairman f CEN/Technical Cmmittee 250 Structural Eurcdes, attended this event. Special participants in the meeting were: Dr Ernest Nka, Deputy Minister f Public Wrks and Transprt; Mr Alfred Olli, Directr f the General Directrate f Civil Emergency, Ministry f Interir; Audience at the auditrium f the Mndial Htel Mr Bashkim Muça, Directr f the General Directrate f Standardizatin, Ministry f Ecnmy, Trade and Energy; Mr. Yanev, the expert frm the Wrld Bank, held a presentatin n this day f the meeting, regarding issues f the AL-DRMAP s Cmpnent IV, entitled Structural 5

6 engineering fr earthquake risk assessment tl fr hme wners and SME s. The last presentatin was by Prf. Pjani and Mr Baballëku, which described the final reprts and prducts by UTS-01. The training material prepared by UTS-01 and entitled Seismic design rules fr cncrete buildings based n Eurcde 8 - Applicatin: analysis and design f a cncrete building was als presented. Secnd day, 16 May The meeting went n with tw presentatins by Prf. Calgar: 1. Eurcdes: basic principles; 2. General principles f structural reliability in the Eurcdes. have ften been frmulated as fllws: cncrete structures shuld be safe, serviceable, durable, ecnmic and aesthetic. Tday, several further requirements r expectatins regarding cncrete structures have t be met, fr example: they shuld be rbust enugh t avid prgressive cllapse, shuld need nly minimal maintenance during their specified service life, shuld allw the use f high perfrmance materials, shuld prvide prtectin against accidents, shuld prvide barriers against r fllwing hazards, shuld be designed with due attentin t dismantlement, shuld supprt sustainability in all pssible ways, and in additin, prvide adequate fire and earthquake resistance and be envirnmentally cmpatible. The bjectives f MC2010 are t: (a) serve as a basis fr future cdes fr cncrete structures and Prf. Nik Pjani and Prf. Jean-Armand Calgar at the Civil Engineering Faculty in Tirana During his stay in Albania, Prf. Calgar paid a visit t the Faculty f Civil Engineering, where he was received by the dean, Prf. Andrea Maliqari, and in the Epka University, where he was received by the dean f the Faculty f Engineering and Architecture, Prf. Ahmet Oztas. Jean-Armand Calgar Chairman f CEN/TC 250 fib Mdel Cde 2010 The apprval and publicatin f the fib Mdel Cde 2010 (MC2010) as fib Bulletins 65 and 66 is an histric milestne nearly ten years in the making. Seven years after fib Special Activity Grup 5, New Mdel Cde, began its wrk, the first cmplete draft was published in 2010, which served as the basis fr review and extensive cmments by the Cmmissins and Natinal Delegatins f fib. Structural cncrete is mre than a cntinuusly develping material. It als represents a remarkable develpment in design cncepts and strategies. Requirements fr cncrete structures 6 (b) present new develpments with regard t cncrete structures, structural materials and new ideas in rder t achieve ptimum behaviur. MC2010 includes the whle life cycle f a cncrete structure, frm design and cnstructin t cnservatin (assessment, maintenance, strengthening) and dismantlement, in ne cde fr buildings, bridges and ther civil engineering structures. Design is largely based n perfrmance requirements. The chapter n materials is particularly extended with new types f cncrete and reinfrcement (such as fibres and nn-metallic reinfrcements). MC2010, like the previus Mdel Cdes, nt nly specifies requirements but als gives crrespnding explanatins in a separate clumn f the dcument. Additinally, MC2010 is supprted by backgrund dcuments that have already been (r will sn be) published in fib Bulletins and jurnal articles. MC2010 is nw the mst cmprehensive cde n cncrete structures, including their cmplete life cycle: cnceptual design, dimensining, cnstructin, cnservatin and dismantlement. It is expected t becme an imprtant dcument fr bth natinal and internatinal cde cmmittees, practitiners and researchers.

7 Eurcdes seminar in Mntenegr 9-11 July 2012 Starting f Mntenegr negtiatins t jin the Eurpean Unin requires harmnizatin with EU regulatins in all areas, including cnstructin. The verall aim f the Eurcdes is t set up a unifrm basis fr technical dcumentatin in rder t specify building cntracts. The Eurcdes are designed as a tl t remve barriers stemming frm the existence f different natinal regulatins, thereby cntributing t the EU plicies regarding the free trade f gds and services in the field f cnstructin. In the framewrk f IPA 2010, the prject Achieving the highest safety and technical quality f cnstructin fficially started by signing the twinning cntract in April Within this prject, the seminar Implementing Eurcdes in Eurpe was rganised at the Ministry f Sustainable Develpment and Turism f Mntenegr. The aim was t present experience frm Eurpean cuntries, as well as the planned prject activities t beneficiaries and interested prfessinals. regulatrs (central and lcal gvernment), sftware develpers, etc. A presentatin was als given n the activities and rles f ther actrs in the prcess f Eurcdes implementatin, and n the imprtance f establishing a steering cmmittee with a rle t versee the prcess, flag up the areas f cncern and insure that deadlines are met. Prf. Jean-Armand Calgar, Chairman f CEN/TC 250 Structural Eurcdes, gave an verview f the Eurcdes and f the develpment f the current generatin f Eurcdes, as well as the natinal experience frm France. Mr Jchen Frnather, head f cmmittee at the Austrian Standards Institute, presented the cntents f natinal standards implementing the Eurcdes, as well as the relevant Austrian experience. Mr Jean-Michel Remy, frm AFNOR, shared the experience frm France in Eurcdes implementatin. A presentatin was given n the related challenges, aspects f standardizatin and rules, as well as key issues fr implementatin (regulatins, standards and natinal practice). Mr Wlfgang Lentsch, legal expert, gave an verview f the public prcurement system. The presentatins were fllwed by a questins and answers sessin. The speakers f the seminar Implementing Eurcdes in Eurpe The seminar was pened by Ms Tatjana Vujšević, the crdinatr fr mnitring and develpment at the Ministry f Sustainable Develpment and Turism, wh pinted ut that the seminar was imprtant fr sharing the extensive experience f EU cuntries in the implementatin f the Eurcdes, which wuld be very useful t Mntenegr during harmnizatin f standards in the cnstructin area. Mr Tariq Nawaz, RTA, presented the prject and practice in Eurcdes implementatin in Great Britain. The presentatin listed the prblems, as well as challenges that Great Britain encuntered in 2003 during the Eurcdes implementatin, especially due t the need fr significant investment frm bth industry and gvernment. Interested parties that were invlved in the prcess were the Natinal Standardizatin Bdy, engineers and designers, academic cmmunity, nntechnical users (clients and the insurance sectr), The audience f the seminar The seminar was attended by DEU representative and prject beneficiaries, i.e. representatives frm ISME, Ministry f Interir sectr fr emergency management, Seismlgical Observatry, Faculty f Civil Engineering, Republic Fund fr Gelgical Research and frm GePrject Ltd. 7

8 fib Internatinal Sympsium Fcus n sustainability The 2012 fib internatinal sympsium Fcus n sustainability tk place at the Ryal Institute f Technlgy in Stckhlm (Kungliga Tekniska Högsklan, KTH) n June In keeping with its theme f sustainability, the event was relatively mdest in scale and ambitin. With 289 participants, the rganisers' targets were met and the event was a clear success. The pening sessin n the 11 th f June began with greetings frm Jhan Silfwerbrand, chairman f the Organizing Cmmittee and deputy chair f the Scientific Cmmittee. The delegates were then crdially welcmed by KTH president Peter Gudmundsn, wh gave an verview f the university, Sweden's first and largest plytechnic, and its research and teaching activities. fib president György L. Balazs tk the flr t cnvey his wn greetings and t present a number f ntable aspects f Swedish culture and histry, including several little-knwn Swedish-held recrds. He als drew the participants attentin t the fact that Stckhlm was the venue f the histric 1997 CEB Plenary Sessin, where the 31 st CEB General Assembly apprved the merger with FIP t create fib. Jhan Silfwerbrand, chairman f the Organizing Cmmittee, and György Balazs, fib President The fib Medals f Merit were presented t Ja Almeida and Jean-Marie Crèmer, while the fib Hnrary Membership was presented t Andrzej Ajdukiewicz. The keynte speakers n Mnday and Tuesday elabrated n the sympsium theme f Cncrete structures fr sustainable cmmunity with the presentatins: A new cncept n cncrete sustainability fr sustainable sciety, Kji Sakai, Kagawa University, Japan, cnvener f fib Special Activity Grup 8 n the fib Sustainability Initiative; On the way t sustainable cncrete structures by defined perfrmance cncepts, Jst Walraven, TU Delft, Nethrerlands, cnvener f fib Special Activity Grup 5 n the New Mdel Cde; American activities twards develpment f a unified frnt t advance green and resilient cncrete, Jim Wight, University f Michigan, ACI president; Cement and cncrete within the cncept f sustainable develpment, Christph Müller, VDZ, Germany; Cncrete durability and sustainability - they g tgether: the Abu Dhabi step tunnel as an example, Dr. Carla Edvardsen, COWI A/S. The parallel technical sessins ver three days cvered a range f tpics related t sustainability, including design, sustainable cncrete materials, case studies and aesthetic issues, carbnatin and carbn uptake and recycling, sustainable cncrete prductin, rhelgy and flw, LCC and LCA, durability, alternative binders, thermal mass, energy strage and fire prtectin, repair, renvatin and upgrading, cncrete pavements. The scial prgramme included a receptin n Mnday evening at the renwned Vasa Ship Museum, where participants culd take part in a guided tur presenting the histry and characteristics f the 384-year-ld warship prir t enjying drinks and sandwiches alngside the ancient vessel. The memrable sympsium dinner n Tuesday evening began with a scenic vyage by bat frm Stckhlm t the Vaxhlm castle, where participants were welcmed by the music f a jazz tri and learned abut the histry f the strategically-placed frtress. The dinner was then served inside the castle, where the musical accmpaniment cntinued. Althugh the sympsium cncluded n the 13 th f June with presentatins by the rganisers f the next year's fib sympsium in Tel Aviv and the 2014 cngress in Mumbai, participants culd stay n an additinal day t jin the technical visit in dwntwn Stckhlm, fcusing n the Citybanan railway tunnel, r the free seminar at the sympsium venue n the Swedish activities n sustainability, rganised by the Cuncil fr Sustainable Develpment f the Swedish Cncrete Assciatin. 8

9 News frm JRC The Eurpean Cmmissin s Jint Research Centre (JRC) pursues its cntinuus supprt fr implementatin, harmnisatin and further develpment f the Eurcdes by maintaining its infrmatics tls that facilitate the practical implementatin f Eurcdes, fstering training and prmtin f the Eurcdes within and utside Eurpe, prducing plicy supprt dcuments and technical reprts and facilitating further harmnisatin wrks. The implementatin f the Eurcdes is nw at a key stage f natinal implementatin where almst all Member States have reached r are appraching the final phase f the predefined radmap f implementatin. An analysis f the prgress in the implementatin f the Eurcdes has been perfrmed based n the infrmatin prvided by the members f the ENC grup in This infrmatin is naturally utdated. Therefre JRC has cmmunicated with the members f ENC grup t cllect updated infrmatin regarding the recent implementatin status f the Eurcdes. Sn after receiving cmplete infrmatin frm Member States, JRC will update the status f Eurcdes implementatin thrughut Eurpe and will present it n Eurcdes website. Eurpean Cmmissin website n Eurcdes The Eurcdes fficial website ( is a cmmn platfrm fr disseminatin f infrmatin regarding the activities and events related t the Eurcdes as well as the main surce f backgrund infrmatin abut the Eurcdes. It is maintained by JRC with updated infrmatin regarding the recent training and awareness events, publicatins and ther material n the Eurcdes. JRC recently initiated a campaign t cllect the references f the guidance materials (bks, manuals, infrmative leaflets, etc.) n the Eurcdes and infrmatin abut state-f-the-art structures designed t the Eurcdes. The cllected infrmatin will be published in the Eurcdes website t facilitate the use and further harmnisatin studies n Eurcdes. The preparatry studies which will frm the basis f a new versin f the website with updated inf, in particular in line with the transitin frm the Cnstructin Prducts Directive (CPD) t the Cnstructin Prducts Regulatin (CPR) era have already started and the new-lk f the platfrm is freseen t be published within the next year. Centralised Eurcdes Helpdesk The Centralised Eurcdes Helpdesk ( is a platfrm fr maintenance f the Eurcdes which creates links between the natinal standardizatin bdies (NSBs), natinal authrities, CEN/TC 250 and the Eurpean Cmmissin. It is develped and maintained by JRC and its fficial pening was annunced in the CEN/TC 250 Crdinatin Grup meeting in Madrid n Nvember JRC has received the cntact inf f mst f the NSBs and created user prfiles bth fr NSBs and CEN/TC 250 Subcmmittees. The task fr JRC hereafter will be ensuring the smth peratin f the platfrm fr its users. Natinally Determined Parameters (NDPs) database The Natinally Determined Parameters database (NDPs database) is a mean f ntificatin by the Member States t the Eurpean Cmmissin f the natinal preference n the parameters f Eurcdes. JRC maintains the NDPs database and mnitrs the status f uplading t facilitate the studies n further develpment and harmnisatin f the Eurcdes. Within the secnd semester f 2012, Hungary has fficially registered t the database and already started uplading its parameters. With the registratin f Hungary, nw all EU-27 and EFTA Member States are registered t the database. Tw candidate cuntries, namely Iceland and Turkey, are expected t register within near future. JRC has established psitive cntacts with Iceland and expects t receive nminatins fr registratin. The rate f uplading is increasing and apprximately 30% f the ttal expected NDPs have been upladed. Sme cuntries have already cmpleted r almst cmpleted their uplading (i.e. Czech Republic-100%, Ireland- 99.5%, Nrway-95%, Rmania-92%, Slvenia-89%) as f Octber Preliminary analysis f the available data shws that the mean percentage f acceptance f the NDPs recmmended value is arund 74%.The highest percentages f acceptance f the recmmended values are fr EN 1992 (~78%), EN 1993 (~86%) and EN 1994 (~87%). As a special case study, JRC perfrmed a statistical analysis fr a selected set f cuntries and a grup f NDPs n EN 1992 Part 1-1. The results f the analysis indicate that althugh the acceptance f recmmended values are higher fr this specific set f NDPs (apprx. 81%), the tendency t accept the recmmended values shuld be investigated in detail by experts cnsidering each cuntry s preference. The details f the analysis carried ut were presented in the 3 rd Internatinal Wrkshp Design f cncrete structures using Eurcdes held in Vienna n September 2012 (A. V. Pint, B. Acun, A. Athanaspulu and M. Pljansek, Achievements in Eurcdes implementatin. Where d we stand? ). Training and prmtin f the Eurcdes JRC is preparing and editing reprts cntaining the practical examples presented in Eurcdes wrkshps with wrked examples as well as scientific and technical reprts received frm CEN/TC 250 Subcmmittees with the apprval f CEN/TC 250 t be published in rder t facilitate the implementatin and use f the Eurcdes. 9

10 The reprts that are currently edited by JRC and will sn be published n the Eurcdes website are: Chice f steel material t avid brittle fracture fr hllw-sectin structures, by M. Feldmann, B. Eichler, B. Kühn, N. Stranghöner, W. Dahl, P. Langenberg, J. Kuhi, R. Ppe, G. Sedlacek, P. Ritakalli, G. Iglesias, R.S. Puthli, J.A. Packer and J. Krampen Chice f steel material fr bridge bearings t avid brittle fracture, by M. Feldmann, B. Eichler, G. Sedlacek, W. Dahl, P. Langenberg, C. Butz, H. Leendertz, G. Hanswille The evlutin f Eurcdes fr bridge design, by S. Dentn, G. Tsinis Eurcde 2- Design f Cncrete Buildings with wrked examples (still under editing). As a cntinuatin f the series f training and disseminatin events, anther wrkshp dedicated t the fire design f buildings with Eurcdes was rganized by JRC in cllabratin with CEN/TC 250 Hrizntal Grup Fire (Chairman Bin Zha). The wrkshp Eurcdes: Structural Fire Design with wrked examples was held in Brussels n Nvember 2012 and the sessins presented the fire resistance assessment f structures accrding t the Eurcdes. In each sessin, a specific structural material (i.e. steel, cncrete, masnry, etc) was addressed with principles and design methds fllwed by wrked example(s). Apprximately 130 natinal delegates frm all arund Eurpe registered fr the wrkshp. All the presentatins frm the wrkshp will be published in the Eurcdes website as sn as they are available. Prmtin f the Eurcdes t third cuntries Russia JRC hsted a seminar n Bridge design with Eurcdes n 1-2 Octber 2012 rganised as a part f EU-Russian Regulatry Dialgue: Cnstructin Sectr Subsectr. The seminar was attended by a Russian delegatin (cnsisting f experts in bridge design and standardizatin cmmunity, heads/technical managers f design departments f imprtant Russian cmpanies, representatives frm federal highway agency), DG ENTR, CEN MC, Chairman f CEN/TC 250 and Eurpean experts (CEN/TC 250 Hrizntal Grup Bridges, Chairmen f CEN/TC 250 Subcmmittees) and by the JRC-ELSA staff invlved in activities related t the Eurcdes. The seminar presentatins were delivered by EU Eurcdes experts (mainly CEN/TC 250 members) and by experts frm the Russian delegatin. The presentatins f this seminar can be fund n the Eurcdes website. The main fcus f the seminar was t prvide infrmatin n plicy f Eurcdes implementatin t the Russian delegates and t address the aspects f Eurcdes where it demnstrates the innvatin in design. JRC-ELSA als presented its activities in supprt f the implementatin, harmnizatin and further develpment f the Eurcdes. During the seminar, bth sides f the delegatins had fruitful discussins regarding bth technical cntent f the Eurcdes and administrative issues related t implementatin. The seminar was cncluded with recmmendatins fr the future wrk f the EU-Russia Regulatry Dialgue: Cnstructin Sectr Subgrup. It was fllwed by a rund-table meeting f EU-Russia Dialgue: Cnstructin Sectr Subgrup n the 3 rd f Octber 2012, with participatin f the grup members nly. Evlutin f Eurcdes t additinal fields f design JRC-ELSA is participating the wrks f CEN/BT Wrking Grup 206, which is in charge f carrying ut a strategic review f the CEN prtfli f cnstructin standards t identify the ptential fr imprving the cllective cntributin t sustainable cnstructin. The activities related t the Eurcdes and supprting the extensin f the Eurpean Standards fr cnstructin t additinal fields (i.e. in the areas f energy efficiency, sustainability, etc) are the main fcus f this cllabratin. In this line, JRC hsted the plenary meeting f CEN/BT WG206 CEN cntributin t the EC Lead Market Initiative n sustainable cnstructin in Ispra n September 2012 and gave a presentatin n the INSPIRE Directive and related actins t the members f WG 206. The main fcus f the meeting was the discussin regarding the future activities (pssible new Mandate) with the fcus n sustainability/sustainable cnstructin, including aspects related t climate change. Fr further infrmatin cntact eurcdes@jrc.ec.eurpa.eu, r visit the JRC website n Eurcdes A. Pint, M. Pljansek, B. Acun and A. Athanaspulu Jint Research Centre f the Eurpean Cmmissin 10