IABSE Awards 2025 - People and Papers - Announced!
IABSE International Award of Merit in Structural Engineering 2025 is presented to Jacques Combault, France for his exceptional career. His scientific and technical works, design and construction achievements, and human qualities are a very remarkable reference for the community of structural engineers. In recognition of his motivation to find innovative solutions to build outstanding bridges, and for his professional and academic career of excellence, read more here ...
IABSE Honorary Membership 2025 is presented to Ulrike Kuhlmann, Germany, 'in high appreciation of her outstanding and dedicated services to the Association. This exceptional award is an expression of IABSE's high appreciation of a member's dedicated service rendered to IABSE over several years and the great contributions the member has made to the Association', read further here ...
IABSE Honorary Membership 2025 is presented to Jan Wium, South Africa, 'in high appreciation of his outstanding and dedicated services to the Association. This exceptional award is an expression of IABSE's high appreciation of a member's dedicated service rendered to IABSE over several years and the great contributions the member has made to the Association', read further here ...
IABSE Early Career Prize 2025 is presented to Deepak Singla, India, ‘in recognition of his outstanding accomplishments, innovative approach, and significant impact in the early years of his career.’ The IABSE Early Career Prize was established to honour and encourage a member early in his or her career for outstanding achievement in structural engineering. The Award is conferred on an individual member, forty years of age or younger. The Prize includes prize money, read further here ...
IABSE National Group of the Year Award 2025 is presented to the Costa Rican Group of IABSE.
In 2024, the Costa Rican National Group achieved a historic milestone by organising the IABSE San José Congress 2024, an IABSE international congress held in Latin America, read further here ...
IABSE 2025 Best PhD Thesis Award goes to ‘Acoustic emission-based indicators of shear failure of reinforced concrete structures without shear reinforcement’ by Dr. Fengqiao Zhang, Assistant Professor, TU Delft, NL, read further here ...
IABSE Outstanding Paper Award: Scientific Paper
Seismic Resilience of Interdependent Built Environment for Integrating Structural Health Monitoring and Emerging Technologies in Decision-Making
• Inspirational Keynote Speakers: Gain insights from renowned experts such as Jean-Yves Del Forno,
Predrag L. Popovic, Dick Hordijk, and Ho-Kyung Kim.
• Technical Tours: ROCO – Oosterweel Project, Vierendeel Bridges Mechelen, R4WO – Ringway around Ghent, and Gent-Sint-Pieters Station.
• Young Engineers Activities: Young Engineers reduced registration fee and free IABSE membership for one year; Urban Hunt; fun and educational activities; Networking with IABSE Fellows.
• Special Sessions: Modifications and bypass Viaduct Merksem; Structural safety assessment of corroded concrete structures; Data-informed life-cycle management of existing concrete structures; Forensic Engineering and Lessons Learned; Assessment of the historical inner-city infrastructure in Amsterdam; Calibration of partial safety factors for the assessment of existing bridges; Utilization of traffic data in research, design, and assessment of bridges; Climate Change on Infrastructures: Effects,Standardisation and Adaptation; Galecopper Cable Replacement; Ship collision with bridges; High Speed railway structures as part of the HS2.
Would you like to sign up for the Pre-Congress Forensic Engineering Workshop or a Short Course on Structural Health Monitoring? Read more here...
IABSE Annual Meetings on 25-26 August 2025
The Annual Meetings will take place on the two days preceding the Congress at the Gent ICC. We have received several registrations from our members and are expecting several meetings to take place with participation from onsite members. The Permanent Committee, which is the highest body of the Association shall meet and hold its elections for IABSE's Vice Presidents and take some key decisions on 26 August 2025. IABSE's Technical Committee, Commission, Task Groups and Editorial Boards, National Groups and SCs will meet to discuss current and upcoming projects. If you are part of any of these groups, take this opportunity to meet and discuss face to face with the leading members of IABSE who are shaping the future of structural engineering.
Preliminary Schedule (Subject to Change)
August 25, 2025 (Monday)
08:00 – 11:00: Administrative Committee, Task Groups*, SEI Editorial Board
11:30 – 14:30: Commissions and SEI Correspondents*
13:00 – 16:00: Executive Committee
15:00 – 18:00: Technical Committee and Chairs National Groups
18:30: Reception of the President of IABSE
August 26, 2025 (Tuesday)
08:30 – 11:30: Executive Committee, SC Copenhagen*, Incheon*, Bulletin Editorial Board and YEC Board*
14:00 – 17:30: Permanent Committee
19:00 - 20:30: Reception of the Belgian and Dutch NGs
*Guests may attend only with the prior consent of the Chair of the respective meeting.
Pre- Congress Workshop: The primary objective of the workshop is to provide understanding of the origins, causes and consequences of failures, the lessons learned from them, and thereby to improve design practices and elevate the standard‐of‐care – all to mitigate errors that may lead to failures and liabilities of engineers. Registration is open: Click Here
Pre- Congress Course: A 12-hour blended short course designed to pose the structural health monitoring (SHM) in the context of a statistical pattern recognition paradigm to support the damage identification process and risk-informed integrity management. This course is organized in the context (one day before) of the IABSE Congress Ghent, on August 26, 2025. Registration is open: Click Here
Papers within this theme explore the developments taken place under the umbrella of circular construction philosophy and may e.g. concern:
- Design for disassembly and re-use
- Adaptable structures
- Use of recycled structural components and materials in new structures
- Operation and prolongation of structural service life.
Abstract Submission Deadline: 15 September 2025
Abstracts Submission: www.iabse.org/incheon2026 Submissions on traditional topics in bridge and structural engineering are
also highly encouraged.
Activities of IABSE's Technical Committee
The Technical Committee (TC) chaired by Tobia Zordan is responsible for the overall technical activities of IABSE. It promotes, co-ordinates and assesses the activities of all technical groups.Read further here ...
Watch this interview with SEI Journal's Vice Chair, Eva Lantsoght, and the special issue Reviewer, Xiaowei Wang, as they briefly discuss SEI and the upcoming issue. Chaired by Ana Mandić Ivanković SEI is in the forefront of scientific research and recent structure reports.
To submit a paper for SEI or join as a reviewer, click here ...
Resilience in construction ...
There was a recent incident of an aeroplane crashing into a building in India. In this article, shared by Alok Bhowmick, you find a perspective on the building in which the aircraft crashed, which had only local failure and did not collapse. Click Here to read more.
Watch the Webinar (recording, click here) organised by IABSE Task Group 6.7 on Sustainable Structures to Foster Climate Change Mitigation and Transition Towards Carbon Neutrality.
Speakers: TG Chair, Prof. Helena Gervasio, Portugal; and Dr. Kaveh Andisheh, Vice Chair, New Zealand.
Moderator: Julio Ortiz, TG 6.7 member, New Zealand.
The webinar will provide an overview of the tasks to be developed within the Task Group and will discuss: Advancing Low-Carbon Construction, Toward Climate-Neutral Structures; Designing the Future; Building Green; From Assessment to Action: Strategies for a Low-Carbon Built Environment.
IABSE Publications
Submit a Technical Report to the SEI journal!
Technical Reports on recent individual structures, deal with the planning, design, construction, operation, maintenance, rehabilitation, or dismantling of structures. These papers address the scientific and technical aspects of the structure, but may also discuss economic, environmental, sustainable, aesthetic and social aspects. The special design details or innovative construction procedures, economic benefits, and aesthetical considerations must be presented in the TR.
The National Groups are, in their field of influence, are responsible for the active support of the objectives of the Association. They support IABSE in particular through the nomination of qualified members for election to the different committees of the Association. They may have their own activities, such as conferences and publications. Click Here!
India
On 7 May 2025, a one day workshop on Hands-On Experience Using Sofistik Software For Design Of Bridges And Structures was held which had 76 participants.Participants interacted with the software developers extensively, and were from government departments, private sector, individuals and educational institutions. Watch the video recording and read the report ...
Denmark
On 11 June 2025, IABSE Young Engineers Denmark hosted a “hyggelig” a thought-provoking evening with Ian Firth. From concept design to carbon footprint, the evening was packed with inspiration and bold challenges to traditional thinking, you can watch the video recording and read further here ...
Spain and Chile
On 11 and 12 June 2025, a significant event focused on resilience and innovation in infrastructure took place in Novotel at Viña del Mar, Chile. Organized by the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, CORFO, and the Chilean Chamber of Construction, the gathering brought together professionals and academics to discuss emerging strategies and solutions in structural engineering. Read further here ...
On 24 June 2025, the Chlean Group also organised a Webinar in Spanish which was moderated by the Chair.
USA
IABSE-US Photo Scavenger Hunt!
The IABSE-US Group is hosting an Infrastructure Photo Scavenger Hunt, organized by the U.S. representatives of the IABSE Young Engineers Committee. This engaging hybrid event invites young engineers to explore, connect, and share their creative perspective on the built environment around them. Photo Submission Link and further information click here.
On 23 June 2025, International Women in Engineering Day (IWED) was celebrated at IABSE with inspiring messages from IABSE's President Tina Vejrum and nine women, members of the Association.
