 Welcome to our third newsletter, which should be arriving in your inbox shortly before Christmas and the New Year. I should therefore take this opportunity to wish you all and your families the very best for the festive season and a prosperous and health 2017.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your hard work in the Special Foundation Industry throughout the year and for your cooperation with all members in order to deliver to our client’s on-time services at excellent quality with zero accidents on site. We also appreciate the excellent cooperation with our
Industry Partners, without whom we would not be able to
deliver.
This Newsletter edition is reporting on the last Annual General Meeting and Council Meeting – AGM - of our Federation, which took place on 14th October in Milano, Italy. Representatives from 15 Members countries participated and includes the activities of the Federation and its Working Groups.
The Austrian Federation VÖBU is reporting about the Geotechnical Conference they will launch in February 2017 and I am looking for participation in this event.
The UK’s Brexit decision has surprised and caused chatter across the whole of Europe. The EFFC however wish to continue to work closely though UK’s National Federation of Piling Specialist (FPS) as before and to have them to continue as Members of the European Federation.
The HSE Working Group is working on a number of topics and this issue in addition to announcing the availability of course for carrying out the root cause analysis of an accident on site, the group also highlights the importance of being aware of hazardous substances.
We have invited again an Industry Partner to become an active contributor of the federation and in particular this Newsletter. You will find an interesting article from AECOM below.
|
|
Annual General Meeting - Milano 14th October 2016
|
|
|
The EFFC met on the 14th October in Milan at the Grand Visconti Hotel. 15 of our 16 Members participated with strong contributions from across the foundations industry.
The AGM is a good opportunity every year for all members to get first-hand information about the activities of the Federation.
A comprehensive agenda is foreseen for the whole day meeting. Apart from the general report about the federation, the most important topic is given to the work report of the Working Groups.
|
|
During the development of the EFFC/DFI Tremie Guide it was identified that better acceptability limits and parameters are needed for support fluids in Tremie operations. Similarly to concrete, bentonite and polymers have continued to evolve since the last major work on this subject was completed in 1997. This has meant issues such as shaft stability and inclusions are being encountered on site during the construction of piles. It has been determined that more site data is needed and work carried out to establish what the values should be for the use of these fluids.
It was agreed by the EFFC Members that a new project should be initiated and financially supported according to the model of the Tremie Guide. The DFI in the US has agreed to jointly work on this project in order that a guide can be produced that will be useful around the globe.
|
|
The Working Group has collaborated to create a course for carrying out the root cause analysis of an accident on site. The course brings together the best experience from across the industry to create a process for responding to an incident and understanding all of the factors involved that contributed to it. The course will be delivered by Lorenzo Alessi of Soletanche Freyssinet.
The intention is for this course to be available to all EFFC Member companies who wish to take advantage of our shared expertise. The HSE group shall next be working on Lifting Operations to create a comprehensive guide for how loads should be moved within the industry.
|
|
The Group is participating in FIEC’s steering committee on the issue of BIM. The EFFC is keen to establish collaborative working as normal way of working in the industry. Using BIM methods for managing and delivering projects is increasingly recognised as the future of how the industry will build structures. Embedding a collaborative approach to BIM construction is key objective of the Contracts WG.
The group has also received a presentation from Arup on the carbon reduction standard being used on the HS2 project in the UK. It is anticipated that public projects in the EU are likely to have requirements to demonstrate the reduction of carbon on projects as part the tender. The group are also actively reviewing the Level 3 contract conditions with a view to introducing working platforms and caps on liabilities as standard contractual terms.
|
|
Website Initiative - Young Professionals Section
|
|
|
A new section of the EFFC website has been launched that will enable new professionals in the industry to build a network and find new opportunities. Also it is now possible for each EFFC Member country to promote the universities that offer geotechnical degrees via the EFFC website. To support this section of the website it has been requested that Members provide details of any graduate/post graduate schemes their own Members offer. The intention is for students and newly qualified engineers is to become a more integral part of the work of EFFC and to take part of the networking to promote our Industry work.
The EFFC are keen that this section of the website becomes a useful resource within the industry.
|
|
Austrian Geotechnical Conference
|
|
|
VÖBUFair is Austria’s biggest fair for geotechnics and well construction.
VÖBU has long been organizing this as co-event with the Austrian Geotechnics Conference and meanwhile VÖBUFair has become a well know venue for experts from all German speaking and neighbouring countries in Europe welcoming around 100 participants each time.
The fair itself consists of 75 fair booths, where companies specialized in all different disciplines of geotechnics present their respective products and services and show their latest know-how.
Taking place in the trade fair centre MCC in the middle of Vienna with its vast meeting areas and other complimentary amenities turns this trade show into a professional geotechnics business-to-business event.
For further information and booking please go to voebu.at/fair
The theme of the 11th Austrian Geotechnical Conference is Ground Conditions: Risk & Chance.
As discussed above the conference will be held together with the „VÖBU Fair”, a cooperation which has been proven to be very successful in the past. This cooperation provides an excellent platform for the exchange and synergy effects between theory and practice.
Varying ground conditions are the overall theme of this year’s conference and emphasis is put on the fact that despite significant advances made in geotechnical engineering uncertainties in ground conditions and in the description of the mechanical and hydraulical description of soils are inevitable. However, this does not only represent a risk but may also be seen as a chance. As a tradition the “Vienna Terzaghi Lecture” will be held on this occasion and the 2017 lecturer is Prof. Dr. Sarah Springman, Rector of ETH Zürich. She is very well known in the field of soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering, in particular due to her outstanding research record in centrifuge modelling.
The organizers would like to invite you to join this unique event, to see latest developments in technology related to geotechnical engineering and contribute to the technical discussions.
|
|
So the votes are in and have been counted and the result, Britain voted to leave the European Union (EU). On a wider political front and given the often fractious relationship the UK has held with the EU, this result may not be much of a surprise any less than it was expected. However, democracy has waved its flag and the result stands so what of the UK’s – specifically the Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) relationship to the EFFC?
Well, whilst it may be all change for the UK domestically and politically, the UK’s representation within the EFFC, the Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) will continue and remains unchanged. The EFFC is an important governing body and works across Europe to improve safety, professionalism and standards across Europe and whilst many of its initiatives are done within an EU framework they are standalone too. The FPS is a valued and active member of the EFFC, sharing the same values and ideals and its input, advice and technical expertise and experience are as valuable now as they were before. In fact in many ways it will be business as usual, with the FPS playing the same and welcome part within the EFFC as it is presently.
It is worth noting that as of the time of writing this newsletter the UK has not invoked Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon, which is the formal notification of its intention to withdraw. Given the projected time-scales for exit – two years – and the UK Prime Minister’s hint that it is going to trigger Article 50 no later than the end of March 2017, then this means Britain should officially leave the EU no later than April 2019. In other words – a long way off and leaves plenty of time for our relationship with the FPS to be cemented further in or out of Europe.
|
|
HSE is paramount to our Industry, says Martin Sonnberger, Chairman of the Working Group HSE. It remains our [EFFC] core objective to work safe and to deliver our services to the client with zero accidents.
This newsletter shall continue to cover safety examples for the day-to-day work of our industry. Having previously covered "Lifting equipment" and "Lift Planning" this issue we wish to stress safe handling of "Hazardous Substances".
Our products and services require the inclusion of materials such as Concrete, Cement, Bentonite and Polymere to mention just a few. On many occasions, certain additives have to be added to ensure workability. We invite all our members to make use of these examples in their daily and weekly “tool box” meetings. A pdf of this topic is available for download from the EFFC Website: http://www.effc.org/
|
|
Industry Partner - AECOM - Engineering Service Sorted!
|
|
|
Continued pressure on space in the built environment and high land costs in urban areas are contributing factors for the need to develop high rise buildings, often with multiple basement levels. In addition, transport-led development is becoming more common as network asset owners look to diversify their revenue streams and leverage value from undeveloped space through oversite development. AECOM has many years of experience providing specialist engineering solutions matched to consenting to deliver deep basements and complex underground structures built between and around existing substructures, and a particular experience in oversite development which draws on our infrastructure specialisms. We provide a range of integrated engineering services in the full spectrum of planning and design of buildings with deep excavations and complex substructures. This includes projects for both owners and main or ground engineering contractors, where we provide in-house geophysics, award-winning specialist instrumentation, geotechnical / structural engineering using analysis appropriate to the project but which may include the most sophisticated 3D numerical modelling, alongside the leading London EIA, planning and consenting practice. We leverage our global experience at the forefront of our industry in delivering the efficient engineering behind very tall and iconic buildings including One World Trade Centre in New York, Grand Lisboa Hotel in Macau and the Crown Resorts Tower in Sydney. We have unrivalled experience in top down or bottom up basement approaches in construction for congested sites with complex ground conditions and groundwater issues.
AECOM (NYSE: ACM) is built to deliver a better world. We design, build, finance and operate infrastructure assets for governments, businesses and organizations. As a fully integrated firm, we combine knowledge and experience across our global network of experts to help clients solve their most complex challenges. From high-performance buildings and infrastructure, to resilient communities and environments, to stable and secure nations, our work is transformative, differentiated and vital. A Fortune 500 firm, AECOM employs around 90,000 people in 150 interconnected offices across the world.
See how we deliver what others can only imagine at www.aecom.com; http://www.aecom.com/solutions/engineering/ground-engineering/ and @AECOM.
|
|
It’s been a busy, busy year for the EFFC and this newsletter only touches on some of the events and developments, but I am sure you will all agree that the EFFC has never been stronger or more pro-active.
With so much going on I hope you will find time to make your thoughts and comments known about the topics covered, or indeed any subject areas you would like the EFFC to cover. The EFFC represents you, so your feedback will make a difference. Please in the first instance email me at EFFC@effc.org with your topics and I look forward to reading them.
|
|
…to support and sponsor this newsletter! Produced three time a year this newsletter gives you and your company a great opportunity put your brand in front of a select and targeted audience across Europe. It also shows your support for the EFFC, and it is our aim to see more networking and the exchange of knowledge between the Federation Members and Industry.
There are a number of sponsorship opportunities available for each issue. For more information and a media pack please contact debbie@joocemarketing.co.uk.
|
|
|
|
