Jouni Punkki appointed Professor of Practice in concrete technology

Jouni Punkki, DSc (Tech), has been appointed Professor of Practice in concrete technology at the Aalto University School of Engineering’s Department of Civil Engineering from 15 August 2016 to 14 August 2021. 

Professor of Practice is a fixed-term position that allows the University to appoint qualified leaders from the academic and business worlds, as well as the public sector, to a specific task. These persons have had a notable impact in fields that are important to Aalto University.

Punkki's areas of expertise include concrete material technology, concrete durability and precast concrete technology. His research emphasises e.g. the sustainable use of concrete, concrete as an aesthetic material and the utilisation of digitalisation and automation in concrete technology.

Jouni Punkki (1963) received his doctoral degrees from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in 1995 and from Helsinki University of Technology in 2000, after which he has held various positions in the concrete industry. Punkki worked as a development engineer in Parma Oy for ten years, after which he worked as a director in the Consolis Group, the largest pre-cast concrete group in Europe. In 2015, Punkki founded Betoniviidakko Oy, a consulting company that focuses on concrete construction. 

-  Even though concrete is a fairly traditional construction material, it still has untapped potential. If we think about research, we need to focus on renewing concrete and concrete construction. The ecological and aesthetic aspects of concrete will be important areas for research as well. In addition, automation and robotics are also challenging traditional concrete construction and thus require research that is focused on concrete technology. I’m really looking forward to collaborating with the concrete industry and other partners as well, says Jouni Punkki.

- Jouni Punkki's wide-ranging expertise and good connections in the concrete industry will promote the interaction and research collaboration between the University and the concrete industry, notes Gary Marquis, Dean of the School of Engineering. He will also strengthen the teaching of concrete material technology in the Department.

Aalto University and actors in the concrete industry signed a cooperation agreement on 15 June 2016 for promoting concrete technology research. The actors in the concrete industry have amassed a EUR 1,000,000 grant that is to be used for concrete technology research at Aalto University. The grant funders include  Concrete Association of Finland, Finnish Concrete Industry Association, General Contractors of Finland and SBK Foundation and Structure Product Quality Foundation. 

Contact details

Jouni Punkki, Professor of Practice
jouni.punkki@betoniviidakko.fi
jouni.punkki@aalto.fi (from 15 August 2016)

Aalto University's School of Engineering
Department of Civil Engineering