Centre of Excellence — UltraTech Cement Lab (Where Cement Meets Innovation) In Association with UltraTech Cement Ltd. | Department of Civil Engineering, SITRC, Nashik
From raw rock to reinforced concrete — see the entire story of construction, up close.
Step into SITRC’s Centre of Excellence, and you don’t just learn about cement — you see it, touch it, and watch it come to life. Built in partnership with UltraTech Cement Ltd., India’s No. 1 cement company, this dedicated lab turns Civil Engineering theory into something you can hold in your hand. It’s where our students go from reading about concrete in a textbook to understanding it the way an industry engineer does.
Watch a Cement Plant— Digitally
Ever wondered what actually happens inside a cement plant? Our interactive digital displays take you through the entire journey — from quarry to kiln to finished bag — showing exactly how limestone becomes the cement that builds the world around us. Right alongside it, our live pervious concrete setup lets you pour water straight through solid concrete, a striking demonstration of how modern materials are solving tomorrow’s drainage and sustainability challenges today.
- Digital cement manufacturing plant model — quarry to packing, visualised
- Step-by-step digital walkthrough of the cement manufacturing process
- Live pervious (water-permeable) concrete demonstration
Touch the Raw Materials Behind Every Building
Limestone, iron ore, bauxite, clinker, fly ash, GGBS — these aren’t just words in a textbook here. They’re sitting right in front of you, in labelled samples and bottles, so you can see exactly what goes into the concrete that shapes our skylines.
- Limestone, iron ore, bauxite, and clinker — the building blocks of cement
- Fine and coarse aggregates
- Fly ash and GGBS (Ground Granulated Blast-furnace Slag) samples
- Plasticizers and chemical admixtures
The “Wow” Wall of Modern Concrete Science
This is where things get genuinely exciting. Discover self-healing concrete that repairs its own micro cracks. See how Aqua Seal stops water seepage in its tracks. Explore high-performance grouts, flexible waterproofing systems, and specialty tile adhesives engineered for everything from damp bathrooms to marble finishes.
- Self-healing concrete and Aqua Seal seepage control agent
- PowerGrout (NS2 Normal & Flowable) and High-Performance Precision Grout
- UltraTech Tile Fixo, Bitu Pro base coat grout, and Hi-Flex (Part A) waterproofing system
- Epoxy grout, ceramic tile adhesive, and anti-damp tile adhesive
- Readiplast, Superstucco, engineered micro-concrete and acrylic polymer bonding agents
- UltraTech Weather Pro — integral waterproofing compound
Learn to Build It Right
Our structural models don’t just show reinforcement — they teach it. See exactly how a foundation meets a column, how much concrete cover IS codes actually require, and how modern formwork is changing the way India builds.
- Foundation-with-column reinforcement model
- Reinforcement detailing of footing, column, and slab
- Cover blocks and IS-code cover provisions for footing, column, slab and beam
- Introduction to modern formwork systems
- Modern tile samples and concrete curing technique displays
Building Sustainably
Sustainability is built into the COE experience too, with a working rainwater harvesting system on display — showing collection, filtration, and groundwater recharge in action.
Beyond the Lab — Real Industry Experience
Our collaboration with UltraTech doesn’t stop at the display shelf. Select final-year students take their learning further with a 6-month internship and final-year project guided by both faculty and industry, tackling real problems from testing concrete strength on live Nashik construction sites to studying safe tile-selection standards and cement-chemical compatibility.
| Group | Project Guide | Project Title |
|---|---|---|
| Group 1 | Prof. Dnyaneshwar Sawake, Assistant Professor | Comprehensive study of ongoing 10+ bungalows in and around Nashik city using Rebound Hammer and UPV to test present concrete scenario as per BIS 516 |
| Group 2 | Prof. Virendra Patil, Assistant Professor | Cement and chemical compatibility tests |
| Group 3 | Dr. J. G. Nayak, Associate Professor | Comprehensive study of tile selection with respect to R rating in wet areas, with statistics from the Nashik Municipal Corporation area — flooring selection as per standards and incidence reporting due to unsafe flooring selection |
| Group 4 | Dr. Nilesh Kumar Meshram, Assistant Professor | Determining heat gain from an RCC slab through temperature measurements, along with room temperature and climatic temperature |
Recently at the COE
On 13 June 2026, we hosted UltraTech Cement’s own employees for a full-day Capacity Training Program — technical sessions, live product demonstrations, and hands-on tile-adhesive application, all led by UltraTech’s experts. It’s proof that this partnership flows both ways: we learn from industry, and industry engages with us.
Coming Up: Two-Day Workshop on Concrete Mix Design
For B.Tech. Civil Engineering Students | Theme: Concrete Mix Design – From Theory to Industrial Application
Day 1 – Theory & Demonstrations
Day 1 begins with an introduction to concrete and concrete technology, followed by a session on the properties of fresh and hardened concrete. Participants then study concrete materials and their characterization, before moving on to the fundamentals of concrete mix design and a dedicated session on concrete mix design as per IS 10262. This is followed by a step-by-step mix design calculation exercise. The day continues with a laboratory demonstration on concrete materials and batching, and concludes with fresh concrete testing along with a briefing for the UltraTech plant visit.
Day 2 – UltraTech Industrial Plant Visit
Day 2 opens with RMC plant orientation and a safety induction, followed by a session on raw materials and quality assessment. Participants then observe batching, mix proportioning, and concrete production. The day continues with testing of fresh concrete, followed by testing of hardened concrete, and concludes with an interactive session with industry experts.
