The inaugural AEC BuildTech Conference & Expo, organized by BNP Media, opened this week in Rosemont, Ill., spotlighting the latest design and building processes, products and emerging technologies. This interactive three-day conference and expo is designed to inform and inspire today’s entire building team — innovative and influential architects, engineers, contractors, facility managers, owners and more.

Educational sessions include five separate tracks focused on flooring plumbing, HVAC/mechanical systems, building envelope and roofing. Attendees walk away from this event with the connections and knowledge to leverage tomorrow’s building processes and construction technologies.

The first day of flooring education, coordinated by Floor Trends and Floor Covering Installer magazines, featured Barry Bailey, regional technical service representative, MAPEI, who spoke on How-To’s for Commercial Interior Installations. Quick takeaways include larger tile sizes and thinner products require flatter substrates, self-leveling can save you time and money, and leveling requires some expertise, tools and manpower to do successfully.

Adam Abell, Bostik’s market manager for tile and stone installation systems, gave a talk on Successful Installation of Thin (Gauged) Porecelain Tile Panels on Interior Walls and Floors.

For more information, visit www.aecbuildtech.com.