The Future of Bridge Construction

The collapse of the Morandi Bridge on August 14  last year has made it tragically clear how important careful planning and continuous maintenance is for the construction of bridges. The ‘Bridges – Challenges of Planning, Design and Construction’ conference is dedicated to current, new and innovative methods and technologies in bridge construction.

Drone technology in particular has become ever more commonly used in preventive bridge inspections. These unmanned aerial vehicles make it possible to reach areas that are difficult to access, or to inspect bridges with especially high pillars in a cost and time effective way. However, methods that have come from increased digitalization, such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), Big Data and ‘self-monitoring bridges’ have also started to become more important when it comes to bridge upkeep, maintenance and increased safety.

In addition to these topics, participants at this conference will be able to discuss benefits and disadvantages of new construction materials, as well as the specific challenges presented by lightweight bridges. The focus is on new developments and trends for the future, while considering reports from bridge construction projects and their country-specific challenges and regulations at the same time.

Several practical examples from leading international companies will give participants food for thought and will also give orientation for their own bridge construction projects. Increasing digitalization and the corresponding challenges will also be a central theme of the conference. The practically oriented program has been created with the help of experts and industry insiders. This includes Rüdiger Schidzig, Director of SZG GmbH, Mike Schlaich, Professor at the Technical University of Berlin and Partner at “schlaich bergmann partner“ as well as Joris Smits, Lead Architect & Bridge Designer at Royal Haskoning DHV. The international presenters are from the Netherlands, Finland, India, Germany and the United Kingdom, amongst others.

The focal points of the conference include the following themes:

• The future of bridge construction
• Challenges in the construction of bridge structures
• Innovation and new technologies
• New materials and their characteristics
• The importance of maintenance and inspection

Place and date:
25th – 26th June 2019

Rotterdam, Novotel Rotterdam Brainpark

Registration and program at  https://www.vdi-wissensforum.de/en/event/bridges/ as well as at the VDI Wissensforum customer service, Postbox 10 11 39, 40002 Duesseldorf, E-Mail: wissensforum@vdi.de, Telephone: +49 211 6214-201, Telefax: -154.