Ronald G. Burg, Executive Vice President of the American Concrete Institute, and Dr. Nabil bin Ameen Molla, Secretary General of the GCC Standardization Organization.Due to the rapid construction growth in the Gulf region, the American Concrete Institute (ACI) recently entered into an agreement with leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Standardization Organization to help them move towards a better understanding and use of concrete and cementitious materials in civil infrastructure. The agreement was signed in Doha, Qatar, by Ronald G. Burg, Executive Vice President of the American Concrete Institute, and Dr. Nabil bin Ameen Molla, Secretary General of the GCC Standardization Organization (GSO).
The agreement grants permission for the GSO to use ACI’s Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete (ACI 318), Specifications for Structural Concrete (ACI 301), and Building Code Requirements for Masonry Structures (ACI 530) to develop a Gulf Building Code. When the Gulf Building Code is published in late 2019, the ACI content that has been modified to accommodate local conditions will be available to engineers, professors, students, and the governments of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
GSO and ACI have also agreed to expand their technical coordination by designating official organizational representatives at technical seminars and symposia. GSO will encourage individuals involved in the concrete industry to attend ACI conventions, become active members of ACI committees, and participate in ACI chapters in the Gulf region. ACI plans to be more active in Gulf region activities focused on concrete design, construction, and materials.
“Our global concrete community is strengthened by knowledge sharing and togetherness,” stated Ronald G. Burg, Executive Vice President, American Concrete Institute, in a press release. “Combining ACI’s 100-plus years of consensus-based knowledge with the tremendous innovation occurring now in the Gulf region will accelerate us all toward the shared vision for a future where everyone has the knowledge needed to use concrete effectively. On behalf of the Institute’s 20,000 student and professional members globally, I eagerly await the many fruits that will come from this strengthened relationship.”
