September 2009

Cooperation Leads to Consensus

by Florian G. Barth

Helping others is always seen as a virtue; a less recognized virtue is letting others help us. Recently, I came across an old aphorism that spoke to me very pointedly: "If you want to be incrementally better, be competitive. If you want to be exponentially better, be cooperative." To me, this wisdom perfectly summarizes the work of ACI's committees and their dedication to the consensus process.

Cooperation is not always simple. In the past, while serving on various ACI technical committees, I was completely overwhelmed when reviewing the myriad comments on a document that had been returned from the Technical Activities Committee (TAC). The intense process of revising a document for clarity, accuracy, readability, and technical precision often took months, or even years. Yet, it is precisely this painstaking, cooperative process that sets ACI apart as the producer of some of the most respected and widely used documents in the field of concrete.

Years later, while serving on TAC, I was duly impressed by the efficient way TAC manages the technical committees and the streamlined process with which documents were reviewed. Accepting document review submissions three times a year in April, August, and December, and after an initial staff review, TAC is charged with orchestrating the review of all submitted documents (frequently totaling over 1000 pages) in only 4 to 6 weeks.

The review process is designed to yield documents that are clear, technically accurate, appropriate in scope, supported by data, and reflect the precision to which ACI is dedicated. To this end, documents receive usually between 100 and 500 total comments—certainly a daunting number for those who must then review and respond to the comments. But the time invested by volunteers to improve a technical document is well worth it.

ACI's technical committees are hard at work on new documents as well as updating or significantly restructuring existing ones. Of particular interest is the monumental project that ACI Committee 318 has begun on its complete reorganization of ACI's flagship code, which has not been restructured since 1971. Estimates are that the new "member-based" code reorganization will be ready by 2014. The committee, however, is considering providing supplemental items in 2011 for the 318-08 code.

ACI Committee 301, Specifications for Concrete, has worked diligently for several years to modify their existing specification to fully complement the ACI 318 Building Code, as well as to include new sections on structural and architectural precast and tilt-up construction. This specification will likely be available for public comment early next year.

Important changes are afoot as ACI continues to strive toward concrete-related sustainability. ACI Committee 349, Concrete Nuclear Structures, is evaluating new code approaches that are appropriate for new light-water and high-temperature nuclear reactors that will likely be used in the next generation of nuclear power plants. ACI Committee 350, Environmental Engineering Concrete Structures, is finalizing a new reference specification for liquid storage construction, which they hope to submit to TAC for review this year.

ACI Committee 376, Concrete Structures for Refrigerated Liquified Gas Containment, was created in 2004 in response to the need to develop concrete design requirements for the LNG industry. The committee submitted a code-type document to TAC this spring, and it was approved pending response to comments. It will be available for public comment in a few months. The industry has discussed the need for a repair code and reference specification for years. In 2004, ACI Committees 562, Evaluation, Repair, and Rehabilitation of Concrete Buildings, and 563, Specifications for Repair of Structural Concrete in Buildings, were formed to create a design code and construction specification, respectively. Both committees are working to fulfill their tasks.

ACI is, at heart, a community. We value the consensus process as the best method of producing documents that are unbiased, accurate, and relevant to the wide range of people working with, teaching, or studying the various aspects of concrete. I thank everyone—volunteers and staff—who create the effective, open environment of our ACI committees. Because of your dedication to helping one another, and also to being helped, ACI continues to achieve its mission of disseminating reliable and readable professional documents related to concrete.

Florian G. Barth
American Concrete Institute
fb@florian.com

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