Furthering its visionof building foundations for Sri Lanka’s future, premier cement production company Holcim (Lanka) Ltd recently partnered with the University of Peradeniya, Moratuwa and Ruhuna to conduct an innovative Concrete Mix Design Competition for the University’s Final Year Civil Engineering students.

The objective of the competition was to impart practical and theoretical knowledge in the specialized area of concrete mix design, providing students with valuable exposure to working with concrete as well as encouraging them to work in teams.

The competition at the University of Peradeniya was held during the period February to April 2014 and the competition at the University of Moratuwa and Ruhuna during May to July 2014. The competition was conducted by Holcim (Lanka) Ltd and the University’s Civil Engineering Societies and commenced with a workshop on concrete mix design, including the practical application of mix design. While imparting skills, knowledge and training,the programme also sought to encourage personal and professional development, focusing on improving communication, leadership and teamwork.

Student groups whose proposals were selected by the University Civil Engineering Societies participated in the competition, which consisted of casting concrete cubes and performing slump tests in the presence of the representatives from the Department of Civil Engineering and Holcim (Lanka) Ltd. The enthusiasm and the active participation of the students during the competition clearly indicated that it was valued by them.

The cubes were tested for 28th day strength and the top 5 teams from each university were awarded a 2 day outward bound training programme sponsored by Holcim (Lanka) Ltd.

The top 05 winning teams from the 03 Universities will compete in the Inter University Concrete Mix Design Competition which will be held jointly by Holcim (Lanka) Ltd and Institute of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL) Young Members Section. The competition guidelines will be communicated during the month of August and selection of the top 03 teams will be held in October 2014.