Deep Foundations Institute (DFI), specifically its Middle East chapter, is a strategic partner for the International Geotechnical Innovation Conference (IGIC 2024), taking place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, next week on May 6-7, 2024.
The theme of the conference is a New Era of Sustainable Geotechnics in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). DFI Middle East officer, Marwan Alzaylaie of Dubai Development Authority, is the conference chair. We are also pleased to announce other DFI members who are keynote speakers: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Rolf Katzenbach, Technical University of Darmstadt and officer of DFI Europe; Prof. Deepankar Choudhury, IIT Bombay and member of DFI of India; and Prof. Jie Han, University of Kansas and president of Geo-Institute of ASCE.
The value of GCC’s ambitious mega structures now exceed USD 2 trillion. Saudi Arabia leads the region in mega construction projects, with a string of megacities, super tall buildings and infrastructure projects currently in various stages of planning and design. At the heart of the Saudi Arabia’s USD 725 billion megacities project is the Line – a 170-km long, 500m tall mixed used structure. Following closely on its heel is the UAE, with scores of new mega projects spanning from the Burj Binghatti, expected to exceed 472m height, to the Palm Jebel Ali among others.
Considering the desert, arid and semi-arid soil conditions found in the GCC, the deep foundations, underground excavations and geotechnical aspects associated with construction of these megaprojects present significant challenges. The conference aims to delve into the deep foundation design and construction requirements imperative for enabling the safe, cost-efficient and timely completion of projects.