cases, pile foundations are preferred in order to ensure the safety of the structure. Piles are inseparable parts of offshore structures like port and harbor facilities, offshore oil and gas platforms. Similarly, deep excavations and underground construction, particularly in urban areas such as Bengaluru are fraught with several challenges and uncertainties, which make the job of a geotechnical engineer very unique among the civil engineers. India, one of the fastest growing economies in the world, should rapidly ramp up its physical infrastructure. Experts believe that deep foundation technologies are of critical importance as the country is trying to accelerate the construction of infrastructure projects. In this context, the conference was very successful in attracting different stakeholders of the foundation industry to the event and in disseminating knowledge of the latest foundation technologies. Construction Authority (BCA), Singapore, gave an excellent lecture on practices and performances of foundations for high-rise buildings in Singapore. Around 80 engineers attended the workshop. Industry support for the conference Professor Rolf Katzenbach, Darmstadt, Germany Conference Content and Sponsors The three-day preconference workshop and conference had expert speakers from different countries including Brazil, Canada, Finland, Germany, Greece, Poland, Singapore, UAE and USA, speaking about deep foundation technologies and case studies. The preconference one-day workshop on piled-raft foundation systems was conducted by Professor Rolf Katzenbach, University of Darmstadt, Germany. The topic of the workshop is of national importance because most of the current and future urban and semi- urban developments will be vertical and Katzenbach included several case studies based on his vast experience of foundations for tall towers around the world. Dr. Poh Teoh Yaw, deputy director, deep excavations and geotechnical department, Building and Students volunteered to help organize the conference came from Junttan OY, Finland; Gmmco India; Nuclear Power Corporation of India; AECOM; Keller Ground Engineer- ing India; BAUER Group, Germany; MHWirth Germany; and United Foun- dations India. One of the salient features of the conference was exhibition of the latest equipment for deep foundation and excavation technologies; instrumentation; monitoring and testing technologies; analysis and design software; and materials for foundations, deep excavation and construction. Exhibitors included: Junttan OY; Geo Ground Engineering Operations India; Keller Ground Engineering India; Panasia Project Consultancy; Smart Structures/Soil Engineering, USA; Oasys (Software House of Arup); HBL Power Systems; Laviosa Trimex Industries; L&T Geo Structure; Sarathy Geotech and Engineering Service; Ultra Enviro-Systems and Earth Products India. The conference highlighted the importance of coming together with all the stakeholders of the Indian construction industry, particularly the foundation construction industry to deliberate the issues and find solutions for the acceleration of India’s infrastructure construction. The variety of topics clearly showed that deep foundations are indeed versatile, and they continue to play an important role in the world. Conferences and workshops are a valuable part of the industry and offer participants a chance to learn and re-energize. The DFI of India Conference in Bengaluru was a great success. DEEP FOUNDATIONS • NOV/DEC 2015 • 41
