Last Friday, November 14th, 2025, we gathered at the stunning Lake Side in Zurich for an unforgettable evening celebrating the brightest minds in structural engineering. Nestled along the shores of Lake Zurich, the venue offered breathtaking views of the evening sky and shimmering water, creating the perfect ambiance for reconnecting and celebrating.
The evening kicked off at 5:00 PM with a delightful cocktail reception as guests began to arrive. Elegantly dressed attendees were greeted with a red carpet and media wall for their memorable photographs, then mingled in the foyer and on the terrace, enjoying the wonderful weather, Swiss wines, and delicious canapés while taking in the picturesque views of Zurich lake. It was a joy to witness old friends and colleagues reconnect after many years, and even to see some meeting in person for the first time despite working together on the same monumental projects.
As the evening progressed, guests made their way to the main hall, where the gala dinner awaited. Beautifully decorated round tables with elegant floral arrangements and candlelight, along with a captivating stage layout, set the scene for the ceremony. Excitement grew as the host of the evening, Philipp Bächstädt, welcomed everyone. The President, Harshavardhan Subbarao, and Executive Director, Chep Uytiepo, then delivered inspiring opening remarks, setting the tone for a night of recognition and celebration.
To open the ceremony, we honoured our members for their outstanding contributions through the People and Paper Awards, recognising individuals who have demonstrated remarkable dedication to the association.
This was followed by the Gala Dinner, where Lake Side Catering served local delicious specialties accompanied by fine Swiss wines. The presentation of the Project and Technology Awards came next, exceptional projects, showcasing achievements that were thoroughly enjoyed by all attendees. Sponsors were invited to the stage to announce the winners after receiving the sealed golden envelopes from the Jury Chair.
The evening flowed flawlessly, with many finalists stepping onto the stage to be recognised for their outstanding work. Each category winner was given the opportunity to share a brief speech, adding a personal and heartfelt touch to the celebration. The highlight of the night was the Gold Star Award, proudly presented to the Shenzhen–Zhongshan Link, China, for its exceptional contribution to engineering excellence.
Thank you to everyone who joined us and made the evening very special. We look forward to continuing this journey of excellence, innovation, and collaboration in the years to come!
IABSE Awards 2026
Submissions for entries to IABSE Awards 2026 are now open: Click here
Complete list of Awardees and Winners
People and Paper Awardees – Click here
Project and Technology Winners – Click here
Photos and videos are now available!
Official video - click here Official Photos -click here
When sharing in Social Media, Please use hashtag: #IABSEAwards2025 #IABSEHQ
IABSE Symposium Copenhagen 2026
Coming Next!
IABSE Symposium on Bridging Advanced Technologies - Structural Innovation
The theme of the Symposium, “Bridging Advanced Technologies – Structural Innovation,” serves as a call for all engineers, young & curious as well as ambitious & experienced to come together. We encourage all of you to share papers on R&D projects, your lessons learned and real case studies. And as we often learn most from the difficult times, where things did not go as planned, we ask you to be brave and also share the hard learned lessons. The Symposium will provide a unique opportunity to share knowledge, learn from the experience of others and together set a new agenda for the future.
Main topics include:
Circular Construction; Structural Modelling & Structural Concepts; Codes and Standards; Material Technology; Data Driven Technologies; and Automation and Robot Technologies.
Important Dates:
October 2025 – 10 December 2025: Paper acceptance notification deadline 1 December 2025: Early Bird Registration Opens December 2025: Final Programme End January 2026: Final paper submission deadline 26 February 2026: Early Bird Registration Deadline
Congress Theme: Structural Engineering Towards Evolution and Hyper-Expansion
Sub-Themes
• Expanded habitats and networks
• Disaster-resilient and risk mitigation
• Smart structures, AI and digital transformation
• Sustainability, clean energy and carbon neutrality
• Structural health monitoring, operation and maintenance
• Innovative structures and construction technologies
• Advanced structural materials
• State-of-the-art design and Analysis.
Read the message from the Scientific Committee:
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. Read further here...
Technical Committee
The new Technical Committee (TC) Chair is Niels Peter Høj, who is now responsible for the overall technical activities of IABSE. It promotes, co-ordinates and assesses the activities of all technical groups. Read further here ...
Technical Committee Chair Niels Peter Høj presented the concept of IABSE TC during his visit to China at the Tongji University. Niels Peter Hoej is in conversation with other countries and regions to promote and discuss how IABSE's Task Groups can reach out and collaborate. if you want to reach out to him, write to technical@iabse.org.
Parametric design, as a methodology, utilizes variables, their relationships, and algorithms to systematically generate structural solutions. This new TG's primary goal is to compile a comprehensive review of the latest developments in parametric design for structural projects, and to identify emerging trends in its application in professional practice. Additionally, we aim to establish a general methodology that outlines the typical workflow when employing this tool in real projects and defines the systematic approach necessary to ensure the quality of the final product. Interested? Write to us at technical@iabse.org if you wish to join this Task Group.
During the meeting which took place on 29 Oct. 2025, which was chaired by Andreas Lampropoulos, members discussed in detail the review comments and assigned revisions to chapter authors for the upcoming Bulletin by TG 5.5.
First Technical Committee (TC) meeting in November
The first TC meeting chaired by Niels Peter Hoej, and Vice-Chaired by Mariagrazia Bruschi took place on 18 November 2025, where all Commission and Board Chairs along with TC Core members shared their insights and goals for next year. The agenda also focused on getting to know each other, as the TC has several new Chairs, starting from 1 November 2025.
IABSE Publications
SEI special issue on Artificial Intelligence in Structural Engineering
Table of Contents
Editorial by Eva Lantsoght: Click Here
Introduction to the series by Teng Wu: Click Here
Technical Reports and Scientific Papers (full download access for members only): Click Here
IABSE News section: Click Here
Annual Report by Tina Vejrum: Click Here
Annual Report by Tobia Zordan: Click Here
Note: SEI is available in print and online for IABSE members and subscribers only.
The Editorial and IABSE News sections are open access for all.
SEI paper download statistics has increased over the years and achieved 23708 downloads in Q3 2025.
‘Mega Sea Links/Fixed Crossing’ - Are you an expert? If yes, contact us.
IABSE is planning a publication in the Structural Engineering Document (SED) series on the topic ‘Mega Sea Links/Fixed Crossing’.
This document will address various aspects, including planning, conceptual design, detailed design, construction, and operation and maintenance. The scope of the document will also encompass tunnel sections, artificial or natural islands along the alignment, onshore works, viaducts, and navigation spans, among others. It will further highlight state-of-the-art approaches in traffic management, emergency response, monitoring systems, inspection, and maintenance strategies. We are particularly looking for experts from China, Korea, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, USA, Canada, Philippines, UK, and France.
If you are an expert in this topic or are aware of colleagues who are an expert, please write to us at technical@iabse.org with a topic that you would like to contribute and your short CV preferably by 30 December 2025.
IABSE National Groups Activities
National Groups Meeting online on 23 October 2025, chaired by Jose Matos
The National Groups are, within their field of influence, responsible for providing active support to the Association's objectives. They support IABSE in particular through the nomination of qualified members for election to the different committees of the Association.
National Groups Activities Report in SEI: Click Here
Spain
On 6 November 2025, in Madrid, on the occasion of the visit of Maria Grazia Bruschi, Chair of the USA National Group, the Spanish NG Chair Dolores Pulido and Vice Chair Laurent Rus met. The Big Build IV also took place. Read more here ...
Australia
On 6 November 2025, Brian Uy, NG Chair organised a hybrid event on AI in Civil and Structural Egnineering: Is AI revolutionising civil and structural engineering, or is it just another tool? The speakers were Esther Wheeler; Prof. Tai Thai, Mr. David Melling; Prof. Brian Uy, and Dr. Elnaz (Elli) Irannezhgad.
Switzerland
On 30 October 2025 the General Assembly took place in Lausanne with the election of a new Chair Kristian Schellenberg and Secretary Ronny O. Solano. Swiss members participated in the event, including IABSE President Tina Vejrum and President-Elect Harshavardhan Subbarao, Laurent Rus from the IABSE Academy, who also attended online. A site visit accompanied the event.
From 22-23 October 2025 Niels Peter Høj, Chair of the Technical Committee from Switzerland, and Prof. Elói Figueiredo of Lusófona University, also a member of IABSE Portuguese Group, concluded a productive visit to Shanghai, marking a significant step in international academic exchange for the bridge engineering community. This event was organised by the Chinese NG. Read further here ...
India
On 17 October 2025, Indian NG in collaboration with IAStructE organised a panel discussion on “BIM and Digital Technologies Transforming Bridge Design & Construction Documentation” which was held in Mumbai and was organised by ImageGrafix India and Nemetschek India. Read more here ...
Norway
On 9 October 2025, 25 structural engineers from the IABSE Norwegian Group visited the Rugtvedt–Langangen project, with a special focus on the construction of the New Grenlands Bridge and the Langangen Bridges.The group was warmly welcomed by Eiffage Génie Civil, who gave an introduction to the project. Read more here ...
Save the Date for IABSE's Upcoming Events
Co-Sponsored Event
We are excited to announce that the European Safety and Reliability Conference (ESREL 2026) will be held from 14–19 June 2026 in the beautiful city of Braga, Portugal. Organized by ISISE - University of Minho, in association with ESRA - European Safety and Reliability Association. Read further here ...
