ISM’s 14th International Workshop for Micropiles a Success
More than 100 ISM members attended the 14th International Workshop for Micropiles (IWM) on August 21-23, 2019, at the Sofitel Gold Coast Broadbeach Hotel on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
“The workshop was a great opportunity for members to meet, present and exchange data, and share experiences and developments on a relatively informal basis,” said Dan MacLean, P.Eng, president of Con-Tech and chair of ISM. “Because the ISM workshops focus exclusively on micropiles, we are able to provide technical content that is more detailed than typically offered reasonably at more general engineering events, which cover a range of technologies.”
The workshop included technical presentations covering regional states of practice; advancements of micropile construction, materials, research and development; and educational/promotional activities.
The Keynote Lecture, “An Overview of the Deep Foundation Industry in Australia,” was delivered by Stephen Buttling, B.Eng, Ph.D., CPEng, RPEQ, National Geotechnical Consultants, Australia.
The workshop also featured the 10th Lizzi Lecture, “Micropiles: World Wide Evolution Trends,” delivered by Allen W. Cadden, P.E., D.GE, Schnabel Engineering. The Lizzi Lecturer is a micropile practitioner invited by the ISM Steering Committee who is recognized by ISM as making distinguished contributions to the micropile industry. The lecture honors the spirit and memory of Dr. Fernando Lizzi (1914-2003), the visionary leader of ISM and the inventor of the “pali radice” or original “root pile” foundation system.
The 8th Lizzi Scholarship was also presented during the conference to Ben Brittain, Queensland University of Technology, Australia, who made a presentation on “Quality Assurance of Neat-Cement Grout.”
A highlight of the event was the Third World Cup of Micropiles, an international competition to select the best micropile project in the world. TITAN POLSKA was crowned the winner for its project, the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk, Poland. Natalia Maca M.Sc. Eng., TITAN POLSKA, delivered a fascinating presentation on the project.
Planning has started for the 15th International Workshop for Micropiles, tentatively being held February or March 2021 in Denver, Colorado, USA.
