From left: Prof. Nayanakkara of University of Moratuwa, Holcim Lanka CEO Phillipe Richart, Prof. Dissanayake of University of Peradeniya and Holcim Lanka Commercial Director Nalin Karunaratne with the winning team from University of Peradeniya at the recently held Concrete Mix Competition


Furthering its vision of building foundations for the future Holcim Lanka, a member of the Lafarge Holcim group, 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.  

Commenting on the programme, Concrete Innovation and Application Manager Eng. Thushara Priyadarshana said, “The competitions were held from July to October in 2015 at the Universities of Peradeniya, Moratuwa and Ruhuna. Conducted by Holcim Lanka and the university’s Civil Engineering Societies, the competition kicked-off with workshops 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 skills.”

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. The active participation of the students during the competition led to a successful and value-added programme for them. 

The top five winning teams from the three universities competed against each other in the Inter-University Concrete Mix Design Competition and the winning team was presented with a tour of the Lafarge Holcim plant in Malaysia and Centre of Excellence in Singapore.