The 80^th RILEM Week 2026 in conjunction with the 3^rd ACCTA International Conference

The 80^th RILEM Week 2026 in conjunction with the 3^rd ACCTA International Conference on Advances in Climate-Friendly Construction Technology in Africa aims at presenting and discussing the recent advances in scientific and industrial research on materials and structures research to meet the great challenges of the 21st century and beyond.

The conference offers a platform for scientists, industry, and experts from the fields of:

• Cementitious binders
• Supplementary cementitious materials
• Alkali activated materials
• Construction chemicals
• Functional material components
• Lightweight materials and constituents
• Mortar and concrete
• Bitumen and asphalt technologies
• Earth-based construction materials
• Bio-based materials and timber
• Heritage materials
• Masonry materials
• Hybrid-use and composite materials

Major conference topics will be related to:

• Material processing and characterisation
• Transport and deterioration mechanisms
• Structural performance and design
• Service life and environmental impact assessment
• Masonry, timber and cultural heritage
• Bituminous materials and polymers

Specific focus will be put on aspects of materials and structures with relevance for innovation and climate-friendly construction technologies, such as:

• Rheology, colloidal interactions and early hydration of mineral binders and concrete
• Hydration mechanism and microstructure of mineral binders and concrete
• Alternative binders and supplementary cementitious materials performance assessment
• Innovative processing technologies and 3D-printing technologies
• Chemical admixtures to control performance properties and robustness of materials
• Bio-based organic and mineral performance materials
• Low-carbon and carbon capture technologies
• Innovation in the pre-cast and ready-mixed concrete sector
• Novel and low carbon organic binders
• Vernacular 2.0 materials and construction
• Analytics and NDT
• Transport mechanisms
• Infrastructure materials
• Safety, durability, and maintenance
• Circular economy and cascading process technologies
• Life cycle assessment of materials and structures
• Regenerative construction
• Recycling technologies

Besides the technical sessions, in collaboration with the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO) the conference will also bring together African experts from the domain of standardisation to discuss the future of cement and concrete standardization.

In addition to this, the conference also offers special focus sessions on industrial developments and circular economy.