Fundamental research for sustainability

Every year, the current status and future perspectives of the Nanocem industrial-academic research network on cement and concrete are presented in an open meeting. This year, Ian Richardson, University of Leeds, welcomed ­almost 70 participants to the Nanocem Open Meeting at the Village Hotel in Leeds/GB (Fig. 1). In his opening speech he highlighted the long tradition in building materials research in Leeds going back to John ­Smeaton and Joseph Aspdin, both originating from Leeds.

Karen Scrivener, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne/Switzerland, focused in her presentation on “Cement...