Agenda | Net Zero Construction Conference 2025

Explore the sessions, speakers, and topics shaping the future of sustainable construction at NOCC25.

Day 1 - Shaping the Future of Construction: Innovation & Sustainability

Day 1 of N0CC 2025 sets the stage for groundbreaking ideas and meaningful discussions. From exploring the Circular Economy in Construction to diving into the transformative role of digitalization and AI, the sessions are designed to inspire innovation and collaboration. Don’t miss the engaging expo and poster sessions as well as the opportunity to connect with thought leaders shaping the future of the industry.

10:00AM

Opening Remarks

Dr. Aali Alizadeh

Co-Founder, President, and CTO

Giatec Scientific Inc

Location: Heidelberg Materials Stage

10:05AM

Employee Engagement for Sustainable Construction

Talk Track: Circular Economy in Construction

Discover how Aecon engaged employees to drive eco-responsible practices, becoming the first North American construction company to inventory all direct GHG emissions and set carbon reduction targets.

Location: Heidelberg Materials Stage

Prabh K. Banga

Vice-President, Sustainability

Aecon Group Inc.

Bio

Prabh, a sustainability strategist with 15+ years of experience, leads ESG initiatives at Aecon Group Inc. She previously contributed to sustainability at Toronto Pearson Airport and holds global roles with the GRI Stakeholder Council and the National Academy of Sciences

Clément Boisselier

Sr. Advisor, Sustainability and Environment

Aecon Group Inc.

Bio

Clément is a Senior Advisor, Sustainability and Environment for Aecon since May 2022. Clément has been working in the field of the environment and sustainable development for several years. His education and multidisciplinary experience enable him to actively participate in the preparation of environmental management plans, sustainability management plans and Envision assessments for Aecon projects under study. He is also involved in establishing best practices on our sites, calculating our GHG emissions, preparing our sustainability report and developing internal programs to ensure that Aecon's sustainability objectives are achieved and known by all colleagues. He exchanges and establishes partnerships with local players to foster innovation in sustainable development. Clément holds a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science from Concordia University, and a Graduate Diploma in Social Responsibility and Sustainability from the University of Toronto. Clément is a recognized expert in sustainable development and received Envision professional accreditation in 2022, and trainer since 2024.

10:30AM

Expo & Student Poster Competition - Session 1

Expo

The Expo at the Net Zero Construction Conference brings together industry leaders and innovators to showcase the latest technologies, solutions, and initiatives in sustainable construction. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore groundbreaking products, services, and projects through interactive booths, network with key players in the field, and gain insights into the cutting-edge developments driving the future of net zero construction. 

Student Poster Sessions

The N0CC Student Poster Competition features student poster presentations on innovative research in sustainable construction and net zero solutions. This is an opportunity to explore emerging ideas, engage with the students behind the projects, and gain insights into the future of sustainable construction.

Location: N0CC Tradeshow Hall

11:00AM

Enhancing cementitious composites and reducing GHG with a liquid bio-graphene admixture

Talk Track: Circular Economy in Construction

Using biochar in concrete cuts GHG emissions and boosts strength and permeability. Converting biochar into a nano-scale liquid suspension overcomes logistical challenges, enhancing hydration, reducing cement use, and storing carbon permanently.

Location: Heidelberg Materials Stage

Alex Hanmore

Manager of Concrete Technologies

Alter Biota

Bio

Alex, with nearly a decade of experience in concrete decarbonization, leads research and innovation in sustainable materials, quality control, and carbon credits. A key member of the winning NRG COSIA XPRIZE team, he’s contributed to breakthrough decarbonization technologies and ensured high standards in large-scale Canadian infrastructure projects.

11:30AM

Emerging Technologies for Sustainable Construction

Talk Track: Circular Economy in Construction

Location: Heidelberg Materials Stage

Kevin Shepherd

Director of Research and Development

Belter Tech

Bio

Kevin Shepherd, with 10 years in construction, transitioned from carpentry to driving sustainable construction research and development. As Director of R&D at Belter Tech, he builds global partnerships to meet sustainability goals and educates others on sustainable development.

12:00PM

Keynote

Circular Economy in Construction

Loremipsum

Location: Heidelberg Materials Stage

Dennis Lentz

Chief Digital Officer and Member of the Managing Board

Heidelberg Materials

Bio

Dennis Lentz is Chief Digital Officer and Member of the Managing Board at Heidelberg Materials. He leads all digital functions globally, incl. Business Solutions, Digital Products & Partnerships, Data & Software Engineering, IT Infrastructure & Operations, IT Governance, Cyber Security, User Experience, Analytics, and Transformational Change. With a background in logistics, information technology, and corporate strategy, Dennis strives to build the digital ecosystem of our industry – to make our industry more efficient and play a central role in decarbonizing it.

12:30PM

Expo & Student Poster Competition - Session 2

Expo

Student Poster Sessions

Location: N0CC Tradeshow Hall

1:00PM

Discovery of low-carbon ready mixes concrete by leveraging physics, chemistry, and reactivity-informed machine learning

Talk Track: The Future of Digitalization & AI in the Construction Industry

This presentation explores a framework for reducing carbon emissions in construction using machine learning and physics. It optimizes concrete mixes, achieving 30% lower emissions while maintaining performance and workability, offering a scalable, sustainable solution.

Location: Heidelberg Materials Stage

Soroush Mahjoubi

Postdoctoral Associate

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Bio

Soroush Mahjoubi, a Postdoctoral Associate at MIT, focuses on decarbonizing concrete through AI-driven mix design and sustainable binder discovery. Previously, at Stevens Institute of Technology’s Smart Infrastructure Lab, he developed AI-guided structural monitoring systems and advanced material property predictions using deep learning and natural language processing.

1:30PM

TBC

Talk Track: The Future of Digitalization & AI in the Construction Industry

Multiplex will demonstrate how digital tools like Procore, PowerBI, and EC3 support ESG initiatives, from data capture to reporting and ongoing performance optimization.

Location: Heidelberg Materials Stage

Sreekanth

Quality Manager

Multiplex

Bio

Anya, a senior sustainability professional, brings experience in construction, real estate, and community building. She’s contributed to projects like the Regent Park Revitalization and Tour de Sustainability, focusing on residential, ICI, and infrastructure. Anya drives sustainability initiatives aimed at net-zero carbon emissions, transforming the built environment through ESG strategies.

2:00PM

A Practitioner's Perspective: Challenges and Obstacles to Implementing Sustainable and Reduced Carbon Concrete.

Talk Track: The Future of Digitalization & AI in the Construction Industry

This presentation addresses ground-level challenges in implementing sustainable and low-carbon concrete strategies for ready-mix producers. It includes case examples across operations, technical, and sales areas, offering practical solutions to overcome these obstacles.

Location: Heidelberg Materials Stage

Rich Szecsy

CEO

Big Town Concrete

Bio

Dr. Richard S. Szecsy, PE, FACI, is CEO of Big Town Concrete, with extensive leadership experience in the ready-mix industry. A recognized expert in concrete technologies and sustainability, he’s held key roles in major trade associations and technical committees. Dr. Szecsy holds degrees in Civil Engineering and an MBA.

2:30PM

Expo & Student Poster Competition - Session 3

Expo

Student Poster Sessions

Location: N0CC Tradeshow Hall

3:00PM

Giatec MixPilot

Talk Track: The Future of Digitalization & AI in the Construction Industry

Presentation Description

Location: Heidelberg Materials Stage

Andrew Fahim

Senior Director, Research

Giatec

Bio

Speaker Bio

3:25PM

Closing Remarks

Dr. Aali Alizadeh

Co-Founder, President, and CTO

Giatec Scientific Inc

Location: Heidelberg Materials Stage

3:30PM

End of N0CC 2025 Day 1

Circular Economy in Construction – Part 1

Day 2 - Advancing Sustainability in Construction

Day 2 dives deeper into the innovations driving sustainable construction practices. Explore cutting-edge technologies, breakthroughs in sustainable concrete, as well as the newest innovations from our sponsors and inspiring student projects in the expo session. Join us as we uncover the solutions shaping a greener and more sustainable future for the construction industry.

10:00AM

Opening Remarks

Dr. Aali Alizadeh

Co-Founder, President, and CTO

Giatec Scientific Inc

Location: Heidelberg Materials Stage

10:05AM

AI & Digitalization for Sustainable Construction Practices

Talk Track: Emerging Technologies for Sustainable Construction

This session explores how AI and digital technologies drive sustainable construction by optimizing energy use, reducing waste, and enhancing lifecycle management. Real-world case studies will showcase cost-effective, eco-friendly outcomes.

Location: Heidelberg Materials Stage

Ritul Anilbhai Shah

Territory Manager

UltraTech Cement Ltd

Bio

Ritul Shah, Territory Manager at UltraTech Cement Ltd, has 7.5+ years in construction and cement. He’s held key roles in companies like Ambuja Cements and Bajaj Reinforcements, excelling in operations, business growth, and customer relationships. Ritul is also a founding member of the Infra Leaders Forum.

10:30AM

Expo & Student Poster Session 4

Expo

Student Poster Sessions

Location: N0CC Tradeshow Hall

11:00AM

Decoding Embodied Carbon: Leveraging Technology and AI for Easier, Scalable Decarbonization

Talk Track: Innovations in Sustainable Concrete

This session shows how AI and data tools help construction teams track and reduce embodied carbon impacts. A case study with Qflow and Building Transparency’s EC3 will demonstrate real-time material tracking for cost-effective, low-carbon construction.

Location: Heidelberg Materials Stage

Brittany Harris

CEO

Qflow

Bio

Brittany, co-founder of Qualis Flow (Qflow), is a civil engineer and tech entrepreneur. She raised over $10M to grow Qflow globally, with a team across three continents. Brittany is an award-winning engineer, Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, and an Enterprise Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

11:30AM

Panel - TBC

Talk Track: Emerging Technologies for Sustainable Construction

Presentation Description

Location: Heidelberg Materials Stage

Presentor

Job title

Company Name

Bio

12:30PM

Expo & Student Poster Session 5

Expo

Student Poster Sessions

Location: N0CC Tradeshow Hall

1:00PM

Deep Decarbonization with CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage)

Talk Track: Innovations in Sustainable Concrete

This course will explain the need to decarbonize the industry and the role CCS and CCUS (Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage) play in the cement industry’s Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality. This session will discuss a variety of technologies being deployed and present real-life examples of how CCS is being used to produce Net Zero Cement and why this is significant. It will provide a in depth information that industry professionals, designers and stakeholders should understand to make informed decisions regarding low carbon concrete produced in association with this emerging technology.

Location: Heidelberg Materials Stage

Larry Rowland

Sustainability Market Manager

Heidelberg Materials

Bio

Larry Rowland is a recognized expert on Cement and Concrete Sustainability and has been a USGBC, LEED® Accredited Professional since 2004. He is an American Concrete Institute (ACI) Fellow and recipient of the ACI Concrete Sustainability Award. He regularly presents to Concrete Materials Industry Professionals, Architects, Engineers, Students, and Green Building Practitioners on the topic of low carbon concrete solutions and sustainable construction.

1:30PM

The Benefits of Prefabricated, Offsite Mass Timber Solutions for Affordable Housing

Talk Track: Innovations in Sustainable Concrete

Housing inequality, affordable housing shortages, and homelessness are persistent and complex challenges in our society. Correcting it will require time, money, innovation, and committed collaboration between all levels of government, developers, not-for-profit housing authorities and numerous other stakeholders. However, at its core - the affordable housing crisis is very much a supply problem. The solution involves industrializing the supply chain by building more multi-unit housing in factories. Prefabricated, panelized building solutions can address the urgent housing needs of communities, and this is exactly what mass timber offers. Additionally, using prefabricated mass timber components for both the structure and building envelope significantly reduced the construction schedule. This modular delivery method, where building components are factory-built and then rapidly assembled on site, offers cost savings over a strictly site-built project. The wood solution delivers biophilic benefits as well for building occupants. The physical and psychological benefits of incorporating natural elements like wood into buildings have been proven by research to directly contribute to the health and well-being of building occupants.

Location: Heidelberg Materials Stage

Lee Scott

Director of Sales

Element5

Bio

Lee Scott studied Biosystems Engineering at the University of Manitoba and received an MBA from the Saundermoen School of Business. Throughout his career Lee worked as a legal and construction surveyor, a Civil engineer, and now applies his extensive background in construction and design to his current role of managing Sales for Element5 in Canada and the United States. Lee has worked on mass timber projects of all sizes and market segments across North America and has an intimate knowledge of the Mass Timber design for manufacturing and assembly process. Lee is someone clients can turn to for feedback, pricing and technical support on projects.

2:00PM

The No Unmetered Water (NUW) Initiative - How Interoperability Reduces Waste

Talk Track: Emerging Technologies for Sustainable Construction

In this panel discussion, we will highlight how BARD Materials is combining Giatec SmartMix’s predictive optimization, Digital Fleet’s real-time truck and concrete monitoring, and BCMI’s digital dispatch and ticketing platform to manage every step of the delivery cycle with sustainability in mind. We will explore how these integrated solutions will help prevent unmetered water additions, optimize cement usage, and reduce variability in mix performance, allowing BARD to reduce carbon emissions, limit material waste, and produce higher durability concrete with fewer resources.

Location: Heidelberg Materials Stage

Panelist

Chris Wurtz

Division President

Digital Fleet

Bio

Chris Wurtz is a seasoned professional in the ready-mix industry, specializing in innovative software and electronic solutions for fleet management. He has held key roles in equipment engineering and development at Terex, Oshkosh, and Polaris. As Division President at Digital Fleet, he continues to drive innovation in fleet management solutions

Panelist

Adam Gardner

VP of Product

BCMI Corp

Bio

Adam has been a key member of the BCMI team since 2022, with invaluable expertise in cloud-based software and solutions for the concrete and bulk construction materials industry. Adam has applied his 20+ years of experience in product management to meaningfully contribute to BCMI’s success. He has played a crucial role in enhancing BCMI’s Material Pro and Material Now apps, which have revolutionized the way material producers and contractors collaborate and manage their operations. From improving dispatch features to enhancing real-time data access for producers and customers, Adam has consistently driven initiatives that align with BCMI’s commitment to our industry.

Panelist

Sarah McGuire

AVP, Business Development

Giatec

Bio

Sarah is the AVP of Business Development at Giatec and has been with the company since 2015. She played a pivotal role in transforming Giatec from a startup into one of Canada’s fastest-growing companies, holding various key leadership positions in sales and business development as the company grew. Sarah’s commitment to growth is further underscored by her recent completion of a Master of Business Administration from the University of Queens in January of 2023.

Panelist

Eric Glendenning

Technical Services Director

BARD Materials

Bio

Moderator

Shelby O. Mitchel

VP of Business Development & Marketing

BCMI Corp.

Bio

Shelby has been with BCMI since 2015. She has supported BCMI’s growth in several roles including training, customer support and sales. Shelby brings more than two decades of industry experience to the Bulk Construction Materials Initiative, including marketing and communications with RMC Industries and Cemex, and writing and editing for The Concrete Producer and Concrete Construction magazines. She is an active member of NRMCA and state industry associations. Shelby enjoys connecting innovative materials producers and rapidly evolving technologies to improve the way our industry does business.

2:30PM

Expo & Student Poster Session 6

Expo

Student Poster Sessions

Location: N0CC Tradeshow Hall

3:00PM

Biochar-Based Supplementary Cementitious Materials - A Path to Truly Net Zero Concrete

Talk Track: Innovations in Sustainable Concrete

This talk explores using biochar in cement to achieve net-zero concrete, focusing on its impact on strength, performance, and commercial potential.

Location: Heidelberg Materials Stage

Lori Tunstall

Assistant Professor in Civil and Environment Engineering Department

Colorado School of Mines

Bio

Lori E. Tunstall, Assistant Professor at Colorado School of Mines, researches carbon-neutral concrete with biochar and air entrainment. She holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Civil Engineering from Princeton and received the 2024 NSF CAREER Award.

3:25PM

Closing Remarks

Dr. Aali Alizadeh

Co-Founder, President, and CTO

Giatec Scientific Inc

Location: Heidelberg Materials Stage

3:30PM

End of N0CC 2025 Day 2

Circular Economy in Construction – Part 1

Please note that the agenda is subject to change.

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