Francesca Pasqual
Italy, Architect (professional), Concreto alumni 2024
Putting yourself to the test by actually bringing your own project to life is a precious and rare opportunity in a professional’s career. CONCRETO Academy gave me this opportunity: a series of meetings and lessons bringing together professionals, students, and researchers to explore current and highly relevant topics related to concrete. I participated in the 2024 edition, selected by CNAPPC, where I had the opportunity to experience first-hand investigation techniques, possible interventions on existing cement-based materials, and the development of a proper mix design for the material that has become the defining construction material of the 20th century. The Academy is structured around three events: one online and two in person, focusing on the many applications of concrete.
During CONCRETO Stepping Stone, the introductory online event, presentations featuring photographs illustrating deterioration issues and intervention details from projects carried out by the speakers—professionals from a range of international contexts—immediately broadened the horizon of my knowledge.
In Lecco, where we met in person for Master Your Skills, the lectures on structural retrofitting provided each working group with valuable insights for developing a diagnostic and intervention proposal for a case study selected in the city. During the third event, CONCRETO Masterpiece, which had recently concluded in Ivrea, we were immersed in the practical reality and challenges involved in casting concrete and intervening on an existing structure.
Beyond the educational activities, CONCRETO Academy was particularly valuable because of the experiences that each participant brought to the programme. I learned a great deal from the lectures included in the programme, but I benefited equally from the active collaboration that developed within the working groups, based on attentive listening to and appreciation of the different skills and expertise contributed by each member. CONCRETO was a short, intense, and highly formative journey that exceeded all expectations. By providing me with practical tools for intervention, it made me even more aware of the importance of careful rehabilitation and conservation of existing concrete structures.
Berhan Uludağ
Turkiye, Architect (professional), Concreto alumni 2026
As an architect coming from Turkey, where many early modern buildings are still standing but are often underused, abandoned, or disconnected from public life, the Concreto Academy gave me a valuable opportunity to reconsider how these structures can be brought back into use through adaptive reuse and rehabilitation.
What was particularly important for me was learning about concrete not only as a construction material, but as an existing material that needs to be carefully understood before any architectural intervention. From analyzing the existing condition of a structure to understanding material behavior, surface treatments, repair methods, and different levels of concrete fluidity, the program showed me how precise and case-specific the process of working with existing concrete architecture can be.
As a young architect who has recently started working in the field, this experience expanded my technical understanding of construction, but more importantly, it changed the way I look at existing buildings: not simply as structures to be restored, but as architectural resources that can be carefully adapted, strengthened, and reintroduced into contemporary public life.
Matteo Conti
Italy, Engineer (professional), Concreto alumni 2024
Taking part in the CONCRETO project was a genuinely positive and professionally enriching experience. As an engineer, I especially appreciated the Learning by Doing approach, because it gives you the opportunity to learn through direct experience and to turn concepts and methodologies into something tangible and immediately applicable to your everyday work.
Working on real situations, analysing problems, looking for solutions and exchanging ideas with others made the whole learning process much more natural, engaging and rewarding.
I found CONCRETO very well organised, stimulating and, above all, truly hands-on. I would definitely recommend it to professionals looking for a more practical and participatory way of learning — one that is built around experience, exchange and the willingness to get actively involved.
What I valued most is the way CONCRETO brings training and professional practice together, making what you learn not only interesting, but concrete, relevant and genuinely useful in your work.
Samuel Calvo
Spain, Field Technician (VET), Concreto alumni 2024
Hello, my name is Samuel Calvo and I was lucky enough to be part of the Concreto project as a student in its first year. For me, Concreto was one of the best experiences of my life.
To begin with, as a student at the Construction Labour Foundation, simply being part of an international project makes you feel that your training and hard work are heading in the right direction. Even so, I was worried I wouldn’t fit in with a group made up of brilliant engineering and architecture students and industry technicians.
However, to my surprise, despite the language barrier, the cultural exchange and our different backgrounds, we were welcomed like one big family from day one.
Theoretical classes were interspersed with practical sessions and social activities that helped us feel more like a team. We fostered collaboration amongst the different members of the group, to such an extent that learning became a pleasure.
As the days went by, I not only grew as a professional, but I also felt valued and eager to develop further.
I also had the opportunity to discover new materials, admire historic buildings and use tools that aren’t readily available in our day-to-day work, amongst other things. All of this adds up to a long list of reasons why this project is cutting-edge and enriching for all its participants.
Above all, it is worth highlighting the impressive team at the Concreto Academy.
To learn from the true masters of the industry, and to have these people so committed to the genuine aim of helping and passing on not only knowledge but also a passion and enthusiasm for our work, is a real honour and privilege.
This trade has evolved just as much as the people who work in it, and that is why passing on our enthusiasm to the next generation makes us all the better for it. I will always be grateful and proud to be part of the Concreto family.
Koray Pekeriçli
Associate Professor, Middle Eastern Technical University in Ankara, Concreto Partner
Concreto Academy provided a platform to share my knowledge and skills with a diverse group of learners and professionals in real-world settings. It gave me the opportunity to test, refine, and apply my theoretical background through practical case studies focused on the condition assessment, documentation, and preservation of concrete structures. In particular,
I focused on creating 3D geometric surveys and transforming them into semantically enriched models to highlight the value of concrete architectural heritage. Throughout this process, I engaged in cultural exchange and built a strong collaborative network with project partners.