REGIONAL REPORT DFI Europe While I am writing this regional report, it is still unclear how, when and if Great Britain will leave the European Union. The new Prime Minister is not yet specific on the Brexit terms. So, the consequences (positive or negative) are yet to be seen. In the mean- time, however, the megaproject High Speed 2 (HS2) in the U.K. is progressing and some preparatory works were ordered and have been started. The general economy in Europe is also influenced by the worldwide economic downturn and the slowing down of the private sector within our industry. Governments have been trying to get infrastructure projects through the design and approval phases but have needed far too much time to do so or the projects have failed to materialize for some reason. In Italy, large construction companies are struggling with their liquidity, and it seems that one construction group is integrating the suffering companies and becoming one of the big players in the market. France, the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal are increasing their construc- tion market outputs, whereas Eastern Europe is still slow. The European organisation of construction contractors (FIEC), soon to be headed by our “DFI Legend” Professor Thomas Bauer, Dr-Ing. E.h. Dipl.-Kfm, is strongly looking into the impact of digitalisation on our industry and is working on solutions, standards and regulations for all pertinent stakeholders. Another key topic is the sustainable future of the construction industry, and DFI Europe is working on answers and solutions. The BIM/Digitalisation Commit- tee developed a soon-to-be published position paper on sustainability, which provides a contribution to and from the deep foundations industry. My sincerest thanks and appreciation to each of our members who volunteered much of their spare time and provided a great deal of effort addressing this very important topic. Our members, especially through their generous volunteerism, create valuable, specific, detailed and up-to-date infor- mation and input with their professional background and experience. New Board Member As a direct result from our call for owners/major clients to become involved with DFI Europe, we welcome Egbert van der Wal, manager of the engineering department at the Port of Rotterdam, as a new corresponding member of DFI Europe’s Board. The Port of Rotterdam is an international organization and plays a pioneering role in research and standard- ization in the field of foundation and geotechnical engineering. He is also member of the Board of PIANC (Inter- national Navigation Association) in the Netherlands, member of ASCE COPRI Ports and Harbours Committee, vice chair of the CROW (technology platform for transport, infrastructure and public space) Committee on marine and geotechnical structures and Ambassador of Smart-Port on Futureproof Port Infrastructure. Frank Haehnig President DFI Europe [email protected] Support Fluids Guide 1 edition of the Guide to Support Fluids for Deep Foundations has been published and is available via download from the DFI and EFFC websites free of charge. This guide is intended to serve as a practical addition to existing standards and will assist all parties involved in the pro- curement, design and construction of deep foundations. In col laborat ion with academic part- ners, a field research study is ongoing to collect various data from many active construction sites and will develop nonstandard test methods and recommendations for acceptance criteria for support fluids. As announced in our previous report, the st If you are a major client with a technical background and are interested in joining the DFI Europe Board as corresponding member, please contact Monika De Vos, secretary of DFI Europe, at office@dfi- europe.org. Student Chapter The first European Student Chapter has been formed at the Sapienza University of Rome. The chapter president is Simone Avallone, who is supported by faculty advisor, Prof. Paolo Marzano. It is a very active chapter, providing students with many opportunities to be engaged. The first chapter activity was a seminar on existing, innovative and ongoing research techniques and materials for ground improvement using the soil mixing technique. Prof. Correia of the University of Coimbra in Portugal discussed the benefits and advantages of using multiwall nanotubes in soil mixing stabilizations. In DEEP FOUNDATIONS • SEPT/OCT 2019 • 63
