The Danish Group of IABSE, along with the Organising and Scientific Committees organised the IABSE Symposium Copenhagen from 21 to 24 April 2026. This 3-Day event was held at the Tivoli Congress Center, Copenhagen, which was preceded by the Spring Meetings.
IABSE Copenhagen Symposium had 467 participants, including 109 Young Engineers and 28 Exhibitors. We extend our heartiest thanks to the Organising Committee, chaired by Barbara MacAulay, and the Scientific Committee chaired by Linh Cao Hoang and co-chaired by Søren Gustenhoff Hansen and Klaus Ostenfeld. We would also like to express our appreciation and thanks to the Young Engineers team for successfully organising several events, Tina Vejrumfor her help and support,Committee members who travelled for the Spring Meetings, and the Participants of the Symposium.
The Spring Meetings started with the National Groups Meeting and the Technical Committee Meeting on 20 April 2026, both of which were held in hybrid format and had members attending from all parts of the world. On the second day, the Executive Committee held a meeting, followed by the IABSE Ambassadors Meeting and Task Group 4.1. The President's Reception in honour of Harshavardhan Subbarao was held on 20 April in Tivoli Congress Center, Copenhagen, where all Spring Meeting delegates and OC members met over cocktails and snacks.
The Symposium started with a Welcome Reception hosted by the Danish Group of IABSE at the majestic City Hall Center, where all registered participants gathered to enjoy drinks and Danish delicacies. On 22 April, the Opening Ceremony took place in the Carstensen Plenary room, and after the inaugural note by IABSE's President Harshavardhan Subbarao, OC Chair, Barbara MacAulay and SC Chair, Linh Cao Hoang; the Keynote Speakers Philippe Block and Sebastian Mernild delivered their speeches. This was followed by Technical sessions, Panel discussions, and Keynote Lectures by Steve Denton and Peter Ditlevsen. A Special session on Niels J. Gimsing was also held to commemorate his legacy. The Technical Sessions and Young Engineers Activities which included Pecha Kucha presentations, networking walk ending at the Kayak Bar and the Young Engineers Prize, were all well attended and appreciated.
The symposium ended with a Closing Ceremony, the Young Engineers Prize,with thank you notes by the OC, SC, closing remarks by the President of IABSE, followed by presentations of IABSE’s upcoming events and Technical Tours on Friday.
IABSE Congress Incheon 2026 - Structural Engineering Towards Evolution and Hyper-Expansion
16-18 September 2026, Incheon, Republic of Korea – Early Bird Registration starting soon!
Timelines
15 May 2026 (onwards) Notification of full paper acceptance
30 May 2026 Final Invitation & registration opens
30 June 2026 Early bird registration deadline
14–15 September 2026 IABSE Annual Meetings
16–18 September 2026 IABSE Congress Incheon 2026
Event Format
The Scientific Programme spans three days and comprises Plenary and Parallel Sessions. Invited keynote speakers will deliver presentations during the Plenary Sessions. Accepted papers will be presented in Parallel Sessions, which will also include Special Sessions dedicated to focused topics.
Sponsorship & Exhibition Open: Click here
Book now to secure your preferred spot, first come first served!
Special Session Proposal Deadline is30 May 2026: Click Here!
The theme of the Symposium, “Structural Failures – Causes, Investigation, Resilience, Mitigation & Standardisation,” serves as a clarion call for all engineers to come together, young and curious as well as ambitious and experienced.
The aim of the symposium is to provide a unique platform for sharing knowledge and research on structural failures, promoting the development of more reliable and resilient structures, as well as sharing knowledge on techniques for strengthening, repairs and renovation of failed structures. There will be opportunities to learn from the experience of others on failures.
Main Topics:
• Causes of Structural Failures
• Investigation Methodologies
• Building Resilience
• Mitigation Strategies
• Standardisation and Codes
Watch the video with message from the OC, SC Chairs and the venue:Click Here
Call for Special Session Proposals extendeduntil30 May 2026: Click Here!
The Italian National Group of IABSE, as well as the Organising and Scientific Committees, are pleased to invite you to the IABSE Congress Milan 2027, which will be held from September 1 to 3, 2027.
The Organizing Committee of the IABSE Conference 2027 in Milan invites proposals for Special Sessions to be included in the technical program. Special Sessions should address timely and high-impact topics relevant to the IABSE community, promoting innovative research, advanced practice, interdisciplinary exchange, and emerging challenges in structural engineering and the built environment. Session organisers will be responsible for coordinating the session in collaboration with the Scientific Committee. Proposals must be submitted by 30 May 2026.
The Congress will take place at the Politecnico di Milano, in the historic 'Trifoglio' building designed by Giò Ponti and recently renovated as part of the university campus redevelopment led by Renzo Piano.
The Technical Committee (TC) promotes, co-ordinates and assesses the activities of all technical groups within IABSE. Below you shall find a list of recent TC activities. To know more about the various Technical Groups please click here. The Technical Committee met on 20 April 2026 in Copenhagen for the Spring Meetings, with Committee and Board Chairs joining onsite and online.
Forensic Structural Engineering is not limited to any building material or type of structure. TG 5.1 focuses on the exchange of knowledge about causes of structural failures and of forensic investigation methods and techniques within the field of forensic structural engineering. This TG has organised, Pre-Congress workshops, publications and has an Information hub, check them out here: Forensics Information Hub; Case Studies 4 on Case Studies on Failure Investigations in Structural and Geotechnical Engineering; Structural Engineering International: Vol 34, No 3.
This issue of SEI is based on recent structures and research from the Korean Rep. and we invite you all to join us at the IABSE Congress Incheon 2026, and take the opportunity to visit some of these iconic structures.
Photos from SEI being printed, packaged and shipped, photocourtesy: Taylor and Francis, UK.
IABSE Members should receive their hardcopy of the Structural Engineering International (SEI) journal between May 20 - June 30.
If you do not receive it, please let us know and fill in the claims form. More information will follow.
SEI Editorial Board meeting
The second Board meeting of the year, took place on 30 April 2026, which was chaired by Eva Lantsoght, and attended by Laurent Rus (Vice Chair), Alok Bhowmick, Andreas Lampropoulos, Chunhua Liu, Changsu Shim, Evangelos Katsanos, Helder Sousa, Daniele Losanno, Teng Wu, Tomonori Nagayama, Venkat Heggade, Evangelos Katsanos, and Dolores Pulido. New members were welcomed to the SEI team: Andre Orcesi, Davide Leonetti, and Dolores Pulido.
IABSE Symposium Copenhagen 2026 Proceedings
'Bridging Advanced Technologies - Structural Innovation' Available in our online shop: Click Here.
Members can get free access to it, after a one year embargo.
Main topics are: Circular Construction, Structural Modelling & Structural Concepts, Codes and Standards, Material Technology, Data Driven Technologies, Automation and Robot Technologies
IABSE National Groups Meeting (hybrid) held on 20 April 2026, Copenhagen
The National Groups (NG) are, within their field of influence, responsible for providing active support to the Association's objectives. They support IABSE in particular through the nomination of qualified members for election to the different committees of the Association.
National Groups Chairs are requested to submit information about their upcoming events: Click Here
France
The General Assembly of AFGC (French Group of IABSE) was held on 26 March 2026 in Paris, bringing together 63 members present and 56 proxy votes. The General Assembly was preceded by a technical conference and open debate dedicated to water resource management and resilience of infrastructures, reflecting major challenges linked to climate change and territorial adaptation. Read further here...
Italy
The Italian NG conducted a webinar on 'The Great Engineers: Silvano Zorzi and the Culture of Infrastructure Design' on 10 April 2026, with speakers Valeria Gozzi, Tullia Iori, from Italy; and moderators Fabrizio Palmisano, NG Chair, Erica Lenticchia and Filippo Landi, from the Italian National Group.
From 16 to 18 April 2026, the IV International Conference "Research, Design, Construction and Operation of Engineering Structures" was held at the Siberian Transport University (Novosibirsk, Russia), with the participation of the Russian National Group of IABSE. Read further here...
Ecuador
On 28 April 2026, the IABSE Ecuador National Group organized a virtual webinar titled “Results of the Research Project: CIRCA (Concrete Infrastructure Resilience in Climate-Adaptive Americas Initiative)”, delivered by Estefanía Cervantes and Ingrid Rocío Irreño. Read further here...
India
On 13 and 14 May 2026, an international conference on the state-of-art hearth monitoring of structures is being held by the Indian National Group, Karnataka chapter, which was established in 2019 as a regional chapter of ING.
This conference brings together global experts, researchers, and industry leaders to explore the latest advancements in SHM. Through keynote lectures, technical paper presentations, panel discussions, and interactive sessions, the event aims to foster collaboration and exchange practical insights.
On 14 May 2026, British Group has organised an event: Design + Build, Reconnected: Design and construction have bifurcated. What might buildings look like if we returned to shaping natural materials in their rawest form? Lucas Epp has practised in the UK, New Zealand, China, the United States, and Canada. Read further here ...
Spain
The Spanish NG and the School of Building Construction – UPM is organising a seminar entitled “The future of reinforced concrete: GFRP rebar”, by Paolo Casadei, engineer in the Composites Division of Owens Corning. The seminar, free of charge, will be delivered in Spanish and held on 21 May 2026 at 12:00 p.m. in the Lecture Hall of the School of Building Construction - UPM. Read further here...
Co-Sponsored Event
The European Safety and Reliability Conference (ESREL 2026) will be held from 14–19 June 2026 in the beautiful city of Braga, Portugal. Organized by ISISE - University of Minho, in association with ESRA - European Safety and Reliability Association. Read further here ...
