REGIONAL REPORT DFI Europe Frank Haehnig President, DFI Europe In 2016, DFI Europe achieved a lot for our industry and for our members. For 2017, DFI Europe has set out additional goals, as the industry undergoes significant changes, and we are all chal- lenged by a shortage of staff and a change in community values. The importance of work-life balance is increasing for the upcoming generat ion. DFI Europe will be broader in its approach to other associations, universities, federations, insti- tutes, young professionals, experts, etc. We see a bright future ahead due to exciting projects and collaboration throughout our industry and community. Currently, the economic situation in Europe is still very diverse geographically – Southern Europe is developing slowly; some of the Eastern European countries have caught up, especially Poland who has increased its infrastructure portfolio and is well on its way; and Scandinavia and Western Europe are still investing in long-term infrastructure projects and supporting renewable energy development, with a strong focus on sustainability. The Carbon Calculator, which was developed through a joint project effort by DFI and EFFC, is a tool that is used to compute the CO2 emissions of foundation and geotechnical works. This tool can be used by decision makers to assess the carbon footprint of their projects and to make a more informed choice when selecting appropriate methods and equipment. Details about the Carbon Calculator can be found at www. g e o t e c h n i c a l c a r b o n c a l c u l a t o r . c om/ e n / . Building information modelling (BIM) will be a standard requirement in our industry, and its development is complex and fast. In all fields represented by DFI activities, BIM will be an integral part of the work. Some countries are developing their own guidelines for BIM, as a Europe-wide standard does not seem possible currently. Standardization is difficult due to varying requirements from owners, manufacturers, consultants, construction companies, etc. However, the future is BIM, which goes along with a digitalization of all our processes. If we use 3D models, collect all of the monitoring data, integrate collaboration platforms, survey with aerial photos obtained from drones, remote control the equipment, furnish all workers with safety devices (e.g., to avoid collision with equipment, etc.), then all of these digitalized processes can be combined to create big data in a BIM model. This supports integrated work from all stakeholders, access to current data, tracking of changes to project documents, which always provides updated information, etc. This type of system will assist in preventing mistakes, improving communication and making available all of the data during the lifetime of a project. We, as DFI, will follow the topic closely during the upcoming years, as the impact on our industry could be significant. In addition, we see that clients from large infrastructure projects are already requiring BIM as a standard. PileInspect is a joint research program conducted by a consortium of 10 partner organizations, including DFI Europe, from six European Union (EU) countries and is funded by the EU Government. The research program was formed to address the perceived shortcomings of the impulse-echo and impulse-response integrity testing methods and to develop an improved low-strain integrity test method for deep foundations. A workshop was held in November 2016 to explain the justifications and objectives for the research and to present the research performed to date. DFI Europe intends to schedule additional workshops during 2017 to continue to inform industry members about the project and its potential in detecting damaged piles. DFI Europe is drafting and compiling the content for a webinar or video to be delivered by its board members to universities. The webinar or video will present and explain various deep foundation methods in an effort to educate civil engineering students on the value of specializing in geotechnical engineering and of the various career opportunities available to them after graduation. International Conference on Deep Foundations and Ground Improvement June 6-8, 2018 | Rome, Italy Rome 2018 Plans are coming together for next year’s joint DFI-EFFC International Conference on Deep Foundations and Ground Improvement in Rome from June 6-8, 2018. A call for abstracts will be released shortly, which will solicit papers on the following topics: • Deep Foundation Technologies • Ground Improvement Technologies • Modeling & Computing for New Techniques • Information Management Systems • Building Information Modeling • Equipment and Material Advancements • Contractual Rules • Construction Risk • Case Histories including Lessons Learned • Innovative Solutions for Complex Problems • Harmonization of National & International Codes • Geotechnical Investigation & Testing DEEP FOUNDATIONS • MAR/APR 2017 • 51 DFI I ® O T N A S D I N N U S T O I F T U E P T E E D
