SKOKIE, Ill.--The Portland Cement Association (PCA) and Ready Mixed Concrete (RMC) Research & Education Foundation recently renewed their commitment to the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub (CSHub), a research center devoted to concrete and infrastructure science, engineering, and economics.

The associations will invest $10 million in funding to support research by interdisciplinary investigators from several MIT departments. The funding enables the CSHub to continue work that began with its launch in 2009 and brings to $20 million the total investment by its industry partners.

Concrete’s durability, strength and relatively low cost make it the backbone of buildings and infrastructure worldwide—houses, schools and hospitals as well as airports, bridges, highways and rail systems. The most-produced material on Earth will only be more in demand as, for example, developing nations become increasingly urban, extreme weather events necessitate more durable building materials and the price of other infrastructure materials continues to rise.

PCA president and CEO Gregory Scott said, “Breakthroughs in concrete science and engineering hold the promise that concrete can be part of the solution of contributing to sustainable development and reducing the carbon footprint of our built environment.”

In its second five-year phase, the CSHub will build on initial advances and translate results into engineering practice.

More at http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice

About PCA
The Portland Cement Association, based in Washington, DC, with offices in Skokie, Ill., represents cement companies in the United States. It conducts market development, engineering, research, education, and public affairs programs. For additional information, visit www.cement.org.

About RMC Research & Education Foundation
The mission of the RMC Research and Education Foundation, based in Silver Spring, Md., is to support research and educational programs that will increase quality, professionalism and environmental stewardship in the ready mixed concrete industry for the benefit of the citizens of the United States. For additional information, visit www.rmc-foundation.org.