US: Marquette University’s McShane Chair Yong Bai has received a US$1m grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development for research into construction and engineering using concrete. The grant will cover projects including one investigating 3D concrete printing for affordable homebuilding, and another investigating retrofitting residential buildings against natural disasters. The 3D printing project will seek to standardise different local 3D-printed concrete mixes based on available materials.
Bai said "There is an increasing challenge in the construction, maintenance and replacement of US civil infrastructure, especially here in Wisconsin, where much of the infrastructure requires capacity or maintenance upgrades or is reaching the end of its expected lifespan. In addition, there is a growing crisis in the construction and engineering industries, which is the shortage of a skilled workforce. The current situation calls for an innovative approach that integrates research with teaching, learning and training in infrastructure construction and engineering."
