On a roll in Madrid

From 17-19 November 2003, the Palacio de Congresos de Madrid, Spain, will play host to the 4th International Symposium on Roller Compacted Concrete Dams (RCC). Organised by the Spanish National Committee on Large Dams (SPANCOLD), the Chinese National Committee on Large Dams (CHINCOLD) and the Spanish Institute of Cement and its Applications (IECA), the symposium aims to carry on the development of the concepts and technologies of RCC dams, and to achieve an adequate balance among economy, safety and environmental aspects.

A number of different themes will be addressed at the event:

? Advantages of RCC dams. The use of RCC in dam rehabilitation.

? Experiences and technologies in different countries.

? Technological innovations in RCC dam construction.

? Planning and design.

? Materials.

? Construction and quality control. Equipment and programming

? Performance of RCC dams. Experiences on operation.

There will also be a series of special lectures, which will include:

The state-of-the-art of RCC dams in 2003 ? an update of the icold bulletin no 125 (Malcolm H.R. Dunstan); Materials and RCC quality requirements (Francisco R Andriolo); Performance of RCC dams ? an honest assessment (Ernest K Schrader); Some recent innovative

methods and techniques in design and construction of RCC dams (Brian A Forbes); RCC use in dam rehabilitation projects (Kenneth D Hansen); RCC dams in China (Shen Chonggang); 30 years history of RCC dams in Japan (Isao Nagayama, Shigeharu Jikan); RCC dams in Spain ?

present and future (Manuel Alonso-Franco, Carlos Jofre); and Spanish experiences during impoundment (Antonio Soriano).

A commercial exhibition on materials, technology and equipment for RCC dams will be held in conjunction with the symposium, and a full accompanying persons programme has been organised.

Technical visits to some of Spain most important RCC dams have also been arranged. Delegates will have the chance to visit the 45m high El Atance dam. Completed in 1997, the upstream face of this RCC gravity dam is flat, whereas the downstream face, including the spillway, is stepped. This will be followed by a visit to Val dam ? a 95m high gravity dam with an RCC volume of 780,000m3. Here, the 1.5m thick upstream face is constructed of conventional concrete, whereas the downstream face is stepped. Last stop on the tour is the 101m high Rialb dam. Completed in 2002, both faces of this dam are flat and were executed with vibrated concrete.