Events

Purpose of the summit

The summit theme Engineering and Beyond refers to recent and future challenges in structural engineering. The purpose of the summit is to provide a meeting point and discussion forum to any professional working in the field of structural engineering or employing services by the structural engineers. These include engineers, architects, developers, researchers, teachers and association representatives. Summit is targeted to everybody from young professionals to eminent: each opinion and viewpoint is important to address the theme.

Keynote speakers are invited as multidisciplinary bases and aim to present the best skills and experience on their field. This gives the participants a possibility to learn new ideas and best practices.

The summit includes general panel discussions where the stage-of-the art and future trends can be reviewed. If urged, the summit can gather statements or recommendations towards IABSE or openly to national structural engineering associations. These may include recommendation for arranging future events or other modes of collaboration on specific topics.

The summit is an international engineering event that by its size is between associations’ annual meetings and engineering conferences. It aims to be more versatile and flexible to address emerging professional issues than scientific conferences; both for the invited speakers and for the participants. The arrangements are made tailored to provide easy access to Nordic participants. Intention is not to establish new sequence of Nordic IABSE events in addition to national and international ones. The summit is part of organisers’ plan to better serve the needs of the structural engineers by arranging international engineering science workshop or conference every other year and smaller, more adaptable, international event meanwhile.

Arranging of international events is particularly attractive to Finnish group of IABSE, as the structural engineering is currently rapidly globalising in Finland. Factors affecting to these include the EuropeanUnion the related harmonised design standards; internationalisation of structural engineering companies; utilisation of product modelling and design software; and start of usage of English language and employment of foreign scientifically-oriented professors for higher level university education.