The main theme of the Congress is ‘Structural Engineering Towards Evolution and Hyper-Expansion.’ We seek to explore the future of structural engineering in an era of unprecedented transformation.

We are witnessing a world where the built environment is no longer static. Climate change is reshaping our planet, and humanity is expanding beyond the Earth. The way we design and construct our world must evolve. Future habitats will not be fixed — they will be adaptive, self-organising, and hyper-connected.

The future is not built — it evolves. A paradigm shift is underway: from construction to continuous transformation, from fixed structures to evolving spaces. With AI-powered design, autonomous construction, and intelligent networks, we are entering an era where spaces dynamically respond to their surroundings and seamlessly integrate with both human and non-human systems. Tomorrow’s cities, infrastructures, and habitats will transcend traditional boundaries, forming hyper-connected ecosystems driven by continuous evolution.

Instead of living in fixed structures, we will inhabit autonomous, self-adaptive environments — designed by AI, shaped by nature, and evolving in real time. Are we ready for a world that builds itself?

To answer this question, the IABSE Congress Incheon 2026 will bring together leading experts to explore future-ready and transformative structures through the lenses of resilience, sustainability, innovation, and digital technologies.

We look forward to engaging discussions, groundbreaking ideas, and new challenges that will shape the next chapter of structural engineering. Join us in redefining the built environment for generations to come.

Sub-Themes

Disaster-resilient and risk mitigation

-Floating and offshore structures; Space habitats and lunar structures; Long-span bridges; High-rise buildings; Mega infrastructure, etc.

Smart structures, AI and digital transformation

-Structural damage detection; Condition assessments; Non-destructive testing; Model updating; Smart sensors; Data-driven SHM, etc.

Sustainability, clean energy and carbon neutrality

-Sustainable materials; Recycled composites; Embodied carbon analysis; Life-cycle assessment (LCA); Renewable energy structures, etc.

Structural health monitoring, operation and maintenance

-Digital twins; VR/ AR; Robotics in construction; Computer Vision; Computational mechanics; Al-based structural diagnosis, etc.

-Recent projects; 3D printing; Prefabrication; BIM for construction; Automated construction; Structures for energy facilities, etc.

Advanced structural materials

-High-performance concrete; Fiber-reinforced polymer; High-strength steel; Shape-memory alloys; UHPC; Self-healing materials, etc.

State-of-the-art design and analysis

-Finite element modeling; Probabilistic design methods; Multiphysics analysis; Computational mechanics, etc.

Special Sessions

S01: Climate-resilient infrastructure through adaptation and mitigation in a life-cycle context (proposed by Y. Dong, Y. Li, and D. Zhu)

S02: Disaster resilience analysis and decision-making for civil infrastructure systems (proposed by T. Kim and J. Song)

S03: Enhancing structure resilience through digital twins, risk assessment, and smart maintenance tools (proposed by J.C. Matos and C. Shim)

S04: Advances in health monitoring of bridges and structures with information merging (proposed by C. Kim, L. Sun, and S.R. Lorenzen)

S05: Physics-informed machine learning for structural and concrete systems (proposed by H. Park and D. Jeon)

S06: Fragility and resilience estimation of infrastructure subject to natural disasters (proposed by D.S. Moon, Y.J. Lee, and J. Lee)

S07: Progress in railway Infrastructure: design, construction, and maintenance (proposed by K. Lee, S. Jang and S. Jeong)

S08: Carbon footprint of bridge and infrastructure construction projects (proposed by M. Gabler)

S09: Advanced installation technologies for offshore wind turbine foundation (proposed by K. Kim)

S10: Advancements in hybrid and real-time hybrid simulation (proposed by Y. Chae and P. Chen)

S11: Offshore wind turbine structures - Challenges in climate change (proposed by C. Park and W. Park)

S12: Advances in structural health monitoring and digital twin technologies (proposed by T. Nagayama, R.E. Kim, and H. Yoon)

S13: Advanced analysis and reliability assessment of bridges on high-speed railways (proposed by J.C. Matos and N. Kozak)

S14: Utilization of traffic data in research, design, and assessment of bridges (proposed by A. O’Connor and H. Lilja)

S15: Bridging art and engineering (proposed by D. Yoo, Y. Son, and C.M. Yoo)

S16: Towards a circular future: Integrating sustainable practices in the construction industry (proposed by W.J. Cao)

S17: Calibration of partial safety factors for the assessment of existing bridges (proposed by A. O’Connor and J.H. Roldsgaard of TG1.3)

S18: Climate change on infrastructures: Effects, standardisation and adaptation (proposed by A. O’Connor and E. Bastidas-Arteaga of TG6.1)

S19: Structural materials for CO2 reduction (proposed by C. Chung, S. Yoon, N. Lee, J. Moon, S. Park, and D. Jeon)

S20: Light weight bridges and structures (proposed by Y. Park)

S21: Artificial Intelligence for earthquake safety assessment & future engineering (proposed by Y. Ju).

Participants wishing to present a paper aligned with the Congress themes and topics are invited to submit an abstract of 200 to 300 words in English, without illustrations. Abstracts must be submitted online via the web-based submission platform here.

Submissions by other means, including hard copy, email, or fax, will not be accepted. Detailed submission instructions and a template are available on the website.

The abstract should clearly summarise the content of the paper and highlight its relevance to the Congress theme.

All abstracts must be received by 15 September 2025 15 November 2025. Authors of accepted papers are expected to attend the Congress and present their work in person.

Please note that each paper requires at least one separately registered author to be included in the final program and proceedings, and one registration cannot cover multiple papers.

As a general rule, each presenter is expected to give only one presentation.

Special Session organisation is highly encouraged to highlight emerging research themes, novel approaches, or significant technical developments. These sessions provide a focused platform to introduce fresh perspectives or address timely challenges relevant to the congress scope. Both academic and practical contributions are welcome.

Deadline for Special Session proposal must be received by 15 September 2025 15 October 2025.

Proposals can be submitted via the Google Form available here.

Allan Larsen, Denmark

Alfred Strauss, Austria

Andreas Lampropoulos, Greece

Andrew Martin, Denmark

Andres Winston Oreta, Philippines

André Orcesi, France

Anton Syrkov, Russia

Brian Uy, Australia

Bruno Briseghella, China

Christos Giarlelis, Greece

Dalei Wang, China

David Knight, United Kingdom

Dongzhou Huang, USA

Eftychia Apostolidi, Germany

Elsa de Sá Caetano, Portugal

Fathy Saad, Egypt

Fernando Madrazo-Aguirre, United Kingdom

Geralt Siebert, Germany

Gunnstein T. Froseth, Norway

Haiying Ma, China

Harshavardhan Subbarao, India

Hiroshi Katsuchi, Japan

Jan Bien, Poland

Jan Wium, South Africa

Joan Ramon Casas, Spain

John Duntemann, USA

Jon McGormley, USA

Jose Campose Matos, Portugal

Jörg-Martin Hohberg, Switzerland

Jun Won Kang, Republic of Korea

Ketil Aas-Jakobsen, Norway

Lee-Sak An, Republic of Korea

Limin Sun, China

Luis Oliveira Santos, Portugal

Marina Traykova, Bulgaria

Martin Polimeni, Argentina

Matias A. Valenzuela, Chile

Mitsuyoshi Akiyama, Japan

Naeem Hussain, Hong Kong SAR

Ole Andre Øiseth, Norway

Paweł Hawryszków, Poland

Pierre Mengeot, Belgium

Poul Linneberg, Denmark

Rade Hajdin, Switzerland

Rasmus Rempling, Sweden

Sejin Kim, Republic of Korea

Sébastien Maheux, Canada

Shunichi Nakamura, Japan

Stefan Zmigrodzki, Canada

Sunjoong Kim, Republic of Korea

Takashi Yamaguchi, Japan

Teng Wu, USA

Tina Vejrum, Denmark

Vanja Samec, Austria

Xin Ruan, China

Yaojun Ge, China

Yong Xia, China

You Dong, China

Yukari Aoki, Japan

Zhaolong Yu, Norway