EFFC Secretary, Ciaran Jennings writes…
“We’re five months out from Geotechnics Reimagined and the programme is coming together. Over 150 abstracts and subsequent papers are under review with session chairs being approached and asked to make the final selections. Key thought leaders are being approached to participate and the first safety focused content programme is being actively put together.
We shall be announcing different parts of the programme in the coming weeks, but already we have some really strong themes for attendees. It’s clear that sustainability is a critical driver for our industry, therefore Conference Chair Christophe Bauduin has identified a number of strands:
-Embracing sustainability through materials and equipment
-New developments in deep foundations and special applications including re-use
-Environmental impact of deep foundation works
On day one there are special sessions planned on offshore geotechnics when building windfarms etc and a deep dive on the new Eurocode.
We are also bringing in some key voices that provide strategic insight on how the industry is changing and how it will transform to become decarbonised and much more circular in its use of resources. We shall look too at how designers are thinking about the opportunity within how we respond to a climate affected world – we have a crucial role to play here. All of this transformation means there is a lot of innovation happening out there – we shall be looking at these in terms of the state of the art and what we predict is going have a huge impact. Alongside this shall also be sessions on digitisation where we shall explore issues around data, AI and what this means for us right now and just over the horizon.
Simon Jones and Lorenzo Alessi of the EFFC Safety WG have been working hard to create the first geotechnical safety conference within the overall programme. This will feature the award winners of the EFFC European Health & Safety Awards 2024 and explain how contractors are de-risking job sites to reduce accidents and find better solutions. This will be essential for anyone committed to improving the safety of the industry.
Finally, there is also an early careers programme in development for the first day of the conference where we shall be running job clinics, sharing the experience of young engineers and learning from young people what they want from our industry to bring them to it.
There is still a long way to go before we open the conference on 21st of May – but already I know it is going to be inspiring, exciting and the most influential event of a generation.”
DFI-EFFC International Conference on Deep Foundations and Ground Improvement, Geotechnics Reimagined is taking place on 21st-23rd May 2025 at Bruges, Belgium. To register for the conference and for further information CLICK HERE.