6th International Conference on Innovative Materials, Structures and Technologies
IMST 2025, Riga
10–12 September 2025
The triennial International Conference on Innovative Materials, Structures and Technologies, organized by the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Mechanics of Riga Technical University, focused on the latest advances in the development of sustainable construction materials and technologies.
The number of participants has steadily increased, and this year the conference featured presentations from more than 150 researchers and doctoral students from European universities. The Baltic States were most strongly represented, with additional participants from Central and Eastern Europe, as well as countries such as Ireland and Portugal. In total, participants from 20 countries took part, including Estonia, represented for the second time.
The conference program was divided into ten thematic sessions, covering topics ranging from material properties and technological innovations to circular economy and sustainability issues. A dedicated session focused on 3D concrete printing.
Tallinn University of Applied Sciences was represented by Hillar Joon, who presented in the session 3D Printing of Building Materials. His presentation, titled “Influence of volcanic pozzolana on properties of mixtures for 3D concrete printing,” summarized recent research on the use of volcanic ash as a partial replacement for Portland cement in 3D printing binder compositions. The co-authors of the presentation were Aivars Alt and Julija Šommet.
In addition to sharing research results and establishing new contacts, participation in the conference also served another purpose: gaining insight into the experience of Riga Technical University’s 3D concrete printing laboratory in using oil shale ash in printable mixture formulations.