2020 Victoria Symposium

Sustainable Geotechnics — Excellence in Planning, Design and Construction

The Victorian chapter of the Australian Geomechanics Society invited academics and practitioners in the field of geotechnical and ground engineering to attend the 2020 Australian Geomechanics Society Victoria Symposium held on 18 November 2020. As this was a year heavily disrupted by COVID-19 and due to the associated restrictions on public gatherings, the symposium was an online-only event.

At the start of a new decade, our society faces many challenges of which engineers and geo-professionals are at the forefront. These challenges include managing our limited resources, finding new sources of energy generation, minimising waste, managing contaminated sites, and the risks and hazards associated with a changing climate. Addressing these challenges requires the innovative use of optimised and lean investigation, design and construction methods, use of alternative or recycled products, and finding ways to “do more with less”.

The Symposium brought together professional engineers, geologists, geophysicists, researchers, specialist contractors, regulators, educators and students to share and discuss their experiences on the topic of sustainable geotechnics, and provided attendees with an exciting opportunity to help define what sustainability means for our profession. Best practices, case histories and innovative solutions for dealing with these challenges were presented and discussed.