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Message from the Scientific Committee
Chair of Scientific Committee Wonsuk Park
Vice Chair of Scientific Committee Youngjoo Lee | 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. |
Congress Theme
Structural Engineering Towards Evolution and Hyper-Expansion
Sub-Themes
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Incheon Bridge |
Special SessionsS01: Climate-resilient infrastructure through adaptation and mitigation in a life-cycle context (proposed by Dong, Li, and Zhu)S02: Disaster resilience analysis and decision-making for civil infrastructure systems (proposed by Kim and Song) S03: Enhancing structure resilience through digital twins, risk assessment, and smart maintenance tools (proposed by Matos and Shim) S04: Advances in health monitoring of bridges and structures with information merging (proposed by Kim, Sun, and Lorenzen) S05: Physics-informed machine learning for structural and concrete systems (proposed by Park and Jeon) S06: Fragility and resilience estimation of infrastructure subject to natural disasters (proposed by Moon, Lee, and Lee) S07: Progress in railway Infrastructure: design, construction, and maintenance (proposed by Lee, Jang, and Jeong) S08: Carbon footprint of bridge and infrastructure construction projects (proposed by Gabler) S09: Advanced installation technologies for offshore wind turbine foundation (proposed by Kim) S10: Advancements in hybrid and real-time hybrid simulation (proposed by Chae and Chen) S11: Offshore wind turbine structures - Challenges in climate change (proposed by Park and Park) S12: Advances in structural health monitoring and digital twin technologies (proposed by Nagayama, Kim, and Yoon) S13: Advanced analysis and reliability assessment of bridges on high-speed railways (proposed by Matos and Kozak) S14: Utilisation of traffic data in research, design, and assessment of bridges (proposed by O’Connor and Lilja) |
Objective and Scope
The goal of this Congress is to attract world-class practitioners and academics for meaningful discussions on the evolution and hyper-expansion of bridge and structural engineering, in relation to advanced and emerging methods of design and analysis.
Important Dates
15 May 2025 Submission of abstract opens15 April 2026 Notification of full paper acceptance
30 May 2026 Final Invitation & registration opens
30 June 2026 Early bird registration deadline
14–15 September 2026 IABSE Annual Meetings
16–18 September 2026 IABSE Congress Incheon 2026
Yeongjong Bridge | Event FormatThe Scientific Programme spans three days and comprises Plenary and Parallel Sessions. Invited keynote speakers will deliver presentations during the Plenary Sessions. Accepted papers will be presented in Parallel Sessions, which will also include Special Sessions dedicated to focused topics. Who Should AttendThe Congress is intended for civil and structural engineers, as well as associated professionals, who are interested in the latest developments in the research, design, construction, monitoring, maintenance, and rehabilitation of civil engineering structures. Prospective participants include owners, consultants, designers, operators, researchers, contractors, educators, suppliers, and representatives from governmental agencies with an interest in the Congress themes and topics. |
Conference Proceedings
Full papers accepted by the Scientific Committee will be published in the IABSE Congress 2026 Proceedings, which will be made available in electronic format prior to the start of the Congress. Publication of each paper is conditional upon the presenting author’s registration for the Congress.
Authors of outstanding papers presented at the congress will be invited to submit an enhanced version of their work for consideration in a dedicated issue of the prestigious Structural Engineering International (SEI) journal.
Call for Abstracts | Call for Special Sessions |
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 | 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 Proposals can be submitted via the Google Form available here. |
Scientific Committee
Chair: Wonsuk Park
Vice Chair: Young Joo Lee
Members:
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 Sergio Hampshire Santos, Brazil 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 |
