Maurice Bottiau, managing director of Franki Foundations Belgium, is presenting the 12th John Mitchell Lecture at the DFI-EFFC International Conference on Deep Foundations and Ground Improvement: Smart Construction for the Future being held May 18-20, 2022, in Berlin. This lecture honors the memory of John Mitchell, killed in a tragic job site accident, for his enthusiastic support of DFI’s early conferences held outside the U.S. and DFI’s role as a leader in the global industry.
Bottiau’s lecture is titled, “The Engineer, Lawyer and Contractor: A Philosophical Questioning About the Future of Geotechnical Engineering.” This lecture will question the future role of the geotechnical engineer in their daily work in our modern society. The development of big data, the increasing role of codes, the dangerous evolution of the contracting environment, and last, but certainly not least, the challenges deriving from climatologic changes: all these factors draft a new environment to which the deep foundations profession must adapt.
Bottiau is the director of the French, Dutch and U.K. branches of Franki, and has more than 30 years of experience in the design and execution of piling, diaphragm walls and soil improvement. He has served in numerous international industry leadership roles, including EFFC president, DFI trustee and DFI Europe board founder and member.
Learn more about the conference at dfi.org/effcberlin2022.