Directing classical geotechnical engineering to future challenges

Abstract

Geotechnical engineers have traditionally been focused on soil mechanics, rock mechanics and engineering geology. Thus it has been sufficient to master these topics to be recognized as a key participant in building and civil engineering projects. However, gradually concerns within both projects themselves and societies more generally are shifting towards new questions and challenges. Therefore, ensuring that geotechnical engineers remain central to all relevant projects, there is a need to master increasingly different and new ways of working together, obtaining new skills and increasing professionally pertinent knowledge and experience. This paper will give an overview of the issues geotechnical engineers have to address and master, if they are to take a lead in projects that seek to meet future challenges. This is really about working in a multi-disciplinary environment, using relevant technical methods without losing specifically engineering judgement, and then using open-minded communication skills to question previous practices that can proceed to find solutions to those future challenges identified. How is this to be done successfully within the profession? This paper offers some ideas. All professionals, and geotechnical engineers cannot be an exception, want to influence and contribute to solving current and future challenges, and thus we need to expand our knowledge awareness. The list of topics where we need to develop our knowledge is rather lengthy and include environmental considerations, contracts, law, conceptualisations of sustainability, robustness, monitoring, digitalisation, standardisation, and climate change. This paper will highlight two examples where geotechnical engineers with increased knowledge sensitivity and skills could make a significant contribution. First, there is an example from Göteborg about limiting a project impact within its zone of influence. Designing the geotechnical structure itself is only the first step, for in addition there is a need to control the building process, have sufficient monitoring, handling the expectations of society while ensuring recognition and use of a particular professional scope of operation. The other example concerns the re-use of material in our embankments to limit transportation. Which criteria should be used to determine the suitability of materials for re-use? How can we cope with societal reactions? Finally, the paper will discuss how geotechnical engineers, by combining geotechnical knowledge with new skills, can contribute with a sustainability foundation involving both relevant concepts and principles looking forward.