• What air entrainment is intended to do during freeze-thaw exposure
• The difference between entrained air and naturally entrapped air
• Why Jason believes entrained air can reduce concrete density
• How dense concrete may limit water and chloride intrusion
• Why removing air from a standard exterior mix is not enough
• How aggregate packing and optimized mix designs affect permeability
• Why air-entrained concrete should not be hard-trowel finished
• How entrained air can affect workability and finishing
• Why specifications and established practices may resist this approach
• What field performance Jason has observed in Midwestern pavements
• Why mix design, placement, finishing, curing, and fibers must work as a system

JOIN THE ACADEMY!! FOR A LIMITED TIME, VISIT CONCRETESCHOOL.CO FOR YOUR FREE ACCESS!! CONCRETESCHOOL.CO

ON THIS EPISODE OF THE CONCRETE LOGIC PODCAST

Should we really design concrete infrastructure for 75 to 100 years?

In this episode, Seth is joined by Dr. Jon Belkowitz to question one of civil engineering’s favorite ideas: the 100-year design life.

Using Hoboken, New Jersey as the example, Seth and Jon talk about what happens when old infrastructure has to serve a city that no longer looks, moves, or functions the way it did when that infrastructure was built.

The issue is not just whether the concrete lasts.

The bigger question is whether the original decision still makes sense.

Jon argues that the industry should stop designing only for age and start designing around use, performance, maintenance cycles, and accountability.

Maybe a 20-year design life with zero maintenance is harder, and more honest, than a 100-year design life nobody is around to answer for.


WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
· Why Dr. Jon Belkowitz questions the 100-year design life
· What Hoboken, New Jersey teaches us about old infrastructure
· Why designing for time may not be the same as designing for use
· The difference between design life and maintenance life
· Why a 20-year, zero-maintenance target may be harder than a 100-year target
· How infrastructure decisions made today can trap future generations
· Why compressive strength is not enough to define concrete performance
· How sensors, inspections, and data could change infrastructure maintenance
· What pavement condition index means and why timing matters
· Why Roman concrete is not always a fair comparison for modern infrastructure
· Why Jon says we should design for decision cycles instead of age

CHAPTERS
(0:00) Introduction and support for the show
(4:55) Rethinking 100-year design life
(7:39) Why designing for time may be the wrong approach
(9:57) Seth pushes back on whether we already design shorter than we admit
(11:11) Hoboken as a case study
(14:13) The 20-year, zero-maintenance idea
(15:00) Performance, sensors, and maintenance systems
(16:15) Pavement condition index and the cost of waiting
(17:45) Why Roman concrete is not the right comparison
(18:08) Bridge inspection and infrastructure careers
(22:56) Building on top of old Hoboken infrastructure
(26:14) Why predicting 100 years out is almost impossible
(28:59) Final takeaways: Design for decisions, not age

GUEST INFO
Dr. Jon Belkowitz
 Intelligent Concrete
Guest link:
 https://www.concretelogicpodcast.com/guests/jon-belkowitz/

CONCRETE LOGIC ACADEMY
The people who understand concrete are the people who get listened to.

Not the loudest person in the meeting.

Not the guy repeating what he heard ten years ago.

Not the person blaming every problem on the latest material change.

The person who understands the “why” behind the concrete usually has the most valuable voice in the room.

That is what Concrete Logic Academy is built for.

You get practical concrete education, PDH courses, and real-world lessons pulled from the same topics we cover on the Concrete Logic Podcast.

Design life changes. Materials change. Specs change. Owners change their minds. Infrastructure ages.

Your knowledge needs to keep up.
Start learning here:
 https://www.concretelogicpodcast.com/concreteschool

SUPPORT THE PODCAST
If the Concrete Logic Podcast gives you value, send a little value back.

You can support the show here:
 https://www.concretelogicpodcast.com/support/

You can also support the show through our KUIU affiliate link:
https://www.concretelogicpodcast.com/kuiu

Interested in sponsoring the podcast or working with Concrete Logic Media?

Email Seth: [email protected]

CREDITS
Producers: Tom Cummings, Jodi Tandett and Concrete Logic Media

Music by: Mike Dunton
 https://www.mdunton.com/

WHERE TO FIND SETH
Concrete Logic Podcast:
 https://www.concretelogicpodcast.com/
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@concretelogicpodcast

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/seth-tandett/

Concrete Logic Academy:
https://www.concretelogicacademy.com/

Until next time, let’s keep it concrete.

• Is the cement market really shifting back to Type I/II?
• Why did Type IL become so common after 2020?
• What happens when one cement type gets blamed for every concrete problem?
• Will cracking, scaling, low breaks, and set delays disappear?
• Why the producer-contractor relationship matters more than internet arguments
• How ready-mix producers may handle Type IL and Type I/II at the same time
• Why the market, not the noise, decides which cement gets used

• Why spring and early summer act like a “lie detector” for existing concrete
• Why damaged concrete often looks darker or blotchy after rain
• What scaling, flaking, and surface loss can tell you about winter damage
• Why broom finish disappearance may be a warning sign
• How ASR cracks hold water and reveal themselves after rain
• What white staining and gel coming out of cracks may mean
• Why some concrete problems cannot simply be cleaned off or sealed over
• How wetting, drying, deicing salts, and outside contaminants can keep feeding deterioration
• Why extending the life of existing concrete may be one of the most practical “green” moves in construction

THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: GPRS
Before you cut, core, drill, or excavate, make sure you know what is inside the concrete.

GPRS helps contractors locate rebar, conduit, post-tension cables, utilities, and other hidden hazards before they become expensive problems. Their scans help reduce hits, downtime, expenses, and keep your people safe.
 Learn more here:
 https://www.concretelogicpodcast.com/gprs 

ON THIS EPISODE OF THE CONCRETE LOGIC PODCAST
Low-carbon cement sounds good on paper.

But can it actually compete in the real concrete market without subsidies, mandates, or customers paying a “green premium”?

That is the question Seth gets into with Ryan Gilliam, CEO of Fortera. Ryan explains how Fortera’s approach differs from many other low-carbon cement companies by bolting onto existing cement plants, using limestone as the feedstock, and turning CO₂ back into a reactive cementitious product.

This conversation gets into the hard part of low-carbon cement: economics, field performance, scaling, ready-mix adoption, policy risk, and whether these products can survive when the market stops caring about the carbon story.

Ryan makes the case that the future of low-carbon cement will not be built on guilt, regulation, or good intentions.
It has to perform.
It has to be cost competitive.
And it has to work in the field. 

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
 • Why “green cement” usually makes contractors and producers assume there is a compromise
 • How Fortera’s technology bolts onto existing cement plants instead of replacing them
 • Why limestone loses roughly 44% of its weight as CO₂ during traditional cement production
 • How Fortera claims to turn that CO₂ back into cementitious material
 • Whether Fortera’s product should be thought of as an SCM, a cement replacement, or a new cement
 • Why ready-mix producers are skeptical of alternative cements
 • What field feedback Fortera has received on finishing, flow, pumping, set time, and cracking
 • Why Ryan does not believe customers will pay large green premiums
 • How policy changes could impact demand for low-carbon cement
 • Why carbon capture usually struggles economically
 • How Fortera’s approach differs from traditional carbon capture and storage
 • What has to be true for low-carbon cement companies to scale
 • Why first commercial plants are such a hard step for new cement technologies
 • Why Ryan believes performance, not carbon marketing, will decide which technologies survive 

CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction to Ryan Gilliam and Fortera
03:25 Ryan’s background in materials engineering and cement research
05:20 Fortera’s approach to low-carbon cement
08:28 Is Fortera’s product an SCM or a new cement?
09:23 Blended cement use versus 100% product use
10:33 What is driving demand for low-carbon cement?
13:39 Scaling challenges for new cement technologies
15:43 Field feedback on alternative cement performance
18:58 Type IL rollout, skepticism, and contractor pushback
20:07 Policy risk and whether low-carbon demand depends on regulation
22:18 How Fortera captures CO₂ from limestone
23:07 Why the economics may work
24:41 How this differs from traditional carbon capture
25:45 What cement plants need to adopt the technology
28:07 Fortera’s history and lessons from earlier attempts
29:00 How Fortera may go to market
30:20 Ryan’s main takeaway for the concrete industry
32:09 How to contact Ryan Gilliam 

GUEST INFO
 Ryan Gilliam
 CEO, Fortera
 Profile: https://www.concretelogicpodcast.com/guests/ryan-gilliam/ 

CONCRETE LOGIC ACADEMY
 If you work in concrete and want practical education that actually connects to the jobsite, check out Concrete Logic Academy.
 This is not theory for the sake of theory.
 It is concrete education built around the stuff producers, contractors, engineers, and field leaders deal with every day.
 Specs. Mixes. Placement. Finishing. Troubleshooting. Materials. Durability. Bad assumptions. Costly mistakes.
 Get access here:
 https://www.concretelogicpodcast.com/concreteschool 

SUPPORT THE PODCAST
 Concrete Logic runs on a value-for-value model.
 If this episode helped you think through low-carbon cement, alternative cement technology, or what might actually work in the real market, send some value back.
 Donate here:
 https://www.concretelogicpodcast.com/support/

You can also support the show through KUIU:
https://www.concretelogicpodcast.com/kuiu

For sponsorship or media opportunities, contact:
[email protected] 

CREDITS
 Producers: Jodi Tandett & Concrete Logic Media
 Music: Mike Dunton
 https://www.mdunton.com/ 

WHERE TO FIND SETH
 Concrete Logic Podcast:
 https://www.concretelogicpodcast.com
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@concretelogicpodcast
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/seth-tandett/
 
Like, subscribe, comment, and share the episode with someone in the concrete industry who needs to hear it.
(Correction: At the 33:42 mark, Ryan referenced testing that reported a compressive strength of 10,000 psi. After recording, the testing result was later determined to be incorrect. The corrected result was approximately 6,000 psi.)

• Why reinforcement choices can slow a concrete project down before the first truck shows up
• How fibers can reduce labor, congestion, inspection steps, and field coordination
• The difference between microfibers, macro synthetic fibers, and steel fibers
• Where fiber reinforcement makes sense, and where traditional rebar still belongs
• How concrete producers handle fiber dosing at the plant or into the truck
• Why fiber-reinforced concrete can help contractors place more mud faster
• How EPDs, LCAs, GWP targets, and Buy America requirements are showing up in reinforcement decisions
• Why finishing fiber-reinforced slabs still depends on timing, mix design, vibration, and field conditions
• How Type IL cement may affect finishing timing, saw cutting, paste, and surface performance
• What engineers need to know about ACI 544, ACI 360, ACI 330, and ACI 318 when considering fiber designs

• What is an EPD?
• Why are data center owners asking concrete producers for EPDs?
• How does a life cycle assessment connect to a concrete mix?
• What data does a ready-mix producer need to create an EPD?
• Why can two plants from the same producer have different EPD numbers?
• How much of a concrete EPD is driven by cement?
• Are owners comparing concrete producers against each other?
• Why might simply having an EPD help a producer win work in some markets?
• How could EPDs affect smaller 2-to-10-plant ready-mix operations?
• Why does Leise think EPDs are becoming more about business than climate messaging?

• Why data centers are growing so fast right now
• What a data center actually is and how it works
• Why AI is pushing demand far beyond traditional cloud computing
• Why more data centers are being built in rural areas
• How labor, materials, and logistics get harder as projects move farther out
• Why concrete becomes a critical path item even if it is a small part of total project cost
• What hyperscale owners want from concrete suppliers and contractors
• Why speed, cost, and lower embodied carbon are all being pushed at the same time
• Why leaner structural designs may be the easiest way to reduce concrete use
• Why concrete supply needs to be planned much earlier on gigascale projects
• How power infrastructure is creating even more demand for concrete
• What future energy storage systems could mean for the concrete industry

• 00:00 - Intro and Doug Mouton’s background
• 01:20 - How to support the podcast
• 03:20 - Why concrete matters so much to data center growth
• 05:26 - What a data center actually is
• 06:30 - Why cloud computing changed everything
• 08:20 - How AI is driving a second wave of data center demand
• 09:41 - Why more data centers are moving into rural areas
• 11:20 - Rural pushback, trucking, roads, and local disruption
• 12:32 - Why rural projects make labor and materials even harder
• 13:15 - What owners and developers actually want from concrete
• 15:05 - Speed, ESG pressure, and embodied carbon goals
• 16:05 - Why concrete procurement is still too fragmented
• 18:00 - Why concrete suppliers need a seat at the table earlier
• 19:02 - How leaner design can cut carbon, cost, and schedule
• 20:13 - Seth’s skepticism on new low-carbon materials at scale
• 21:39 - Why scale and supply chain reality still matter
• 22:05 - Why concrete planning should start at the very beginning
• 23:32 - How power infrastructure creates even more concrete demand
• 24:05 - Massive towers, gravity batteries, and future energy storage ideas
• 25:00 - Using AI to make steel and rebar design more efficient
• 25:35 - Will data centers get smaller, denser, and stiffer?
• 26:20 - Wrap-up and final thoughts

•  Why a design mix is not the same as a batch mix 
•  How aggregate moisture changes your sand and rock weights 
•  What “free water” really means and why it matters 
•  How moisture in the aggregates affects water-cement ratio 
•  How to calculate the water coming from sand and stone 
•  How admixture dosage is calculated from cement content 
•  Why admixtures also add water to the mix 
•  How to calculate final batch water 
•  What the final adjusted batch mix looks like 
•  Why contractors and engineers should understand this math even if the plant computer does it for them 

•  00:00 - Intro and how to support the show 
•  02:15 - Why people are actually using the podcast on the job 
•  02:36 - Concrete Logic Academy and PDHs 
•  03:36 - Picking up where the last mix design episode ended 
•  04:22 - What has to change to move from design mix to batch mix 
•  05:44 - The project assumptions for this slab mix 
•  06:28 - Where moisture content and absorption values come from 
•  08:13 - Adjusting sand weight for moisture 
•  10:54 - Adjusting rock weight for moisture 
•  12:05 - What free water is and why it affects your mix 
•  13:24 - Calculating free water from the sand 
•  14:33 - Calculating free water from the rock 
•  15:24 - Admixture dosage explained 
•  16:16 - Calculating admixture ounces per cubic yard 
•  17:28 - Calculating how much water the admixture brings 
•  18:47 - Final batch water calculation 
•  19:34 - Final adjusted batch mix 
•  20:38 - What happens next at the plant 
•  21:03 - Why admixtures are mostly water 
•  24:51 - Withholding water and adjusting slump at the plant 
•  26:53 - How admixture dispensing systems work 
•  29:25 - Wrap-up and what to cover next time