Practical Value of applying Risk and Reliability as a basis for Structural Engineering Decision-Making

Mission Statement/Objectives
In light of the tremendous challenges our society is facing—including the effects of climate change, population growth, the need for global social justice, and increasing pressure on natural resources—the international research community, together with stakeholders, is driven to identify solutions that enable continuous and sustainable development. This requires that a substantial share of societal economic resources be invested wisely in the development, maintenance, and renewal of the built environment, in order to ensure its functionality and the safety of its users.

This inevitably pushes the limits of structural engineering, which forms the foundation for meeting these societal demands. In practical terms, this requires increasingly optimal decision-making processes. Such processes must effectively take into account:

– the benefits provided by structures,

– the possible adverse consequences, such as loss of life and degradation of environmental quality, and

– the direct and committed economic costs.

As a consequence, the scientific basis has been rapidly developing over the last years, empowered by the fourth industrial revolution taking place in this XXI century, including the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into decision-making frameworks. However, the broad implementation of the newly developed principles (from the scientific basis) demands a proper transition based on:

– practical examples able to give value evidence for assertive decisions, and

– guidelines, rules and regulations to disseminate properly its application.

which will constitute the basis for the daily work of practicing engineers in the near future.

In this context, the objectives of the task group 1.6. is to:

– promote and support the development of practical examples on real structures;

– identify the research challenges and address them accordingly;

– establish a technical liaison with the Joint Committee on Structural Safety (JCSS), considering the continuation of work from TG1.12 after its completion; and

– write and disseminate suitable publications tailored for practicing engineers.

Scope & Limitation

To demonstrate the practical value of advanced methods in risk and reliability assessment of structures, this Task Group will focus on a selected number of high-impact deliverables over a focused timeframe. The scope is to disseminate practical and real applications, identify specific research challenges and disclose how they are accordingly tackled for a non-expert audience. The work will consider the role of AI in decision-making and will include establishing a technical liaison with the JCSS to ensure alignment and build upon previous efforts, particularly the work of TG1.12

Expected Project Output

According to the abovementioned objectives and with a focused bottom-up approach, the expected deliverables (maximum of three) are:

– A state-of-the-art report or guideline publication showcasing a portfolio of practical applications of risk and reliability methods in structural engineering with evidence of added value for society;

– A benchmark exercise (e.g., round-robin modelling) to analyze and compare how different methodologies are applied to a common problem, providing insights into the variability and consistency of results; and

– Organisation of a special session in an upcoming IABSE event to present the findings of the Task Group and engage with the wider engineering community and potential beneficiaries of this work.

Start Date: January 2026
Target Date of Completion: January 2029

Chair

Helder Sousa, Portugal

Vice Chair
Jochen Köhler, Norway

Members
João André, Portugal
Heiki Lilja, Finland
André Orcesi, France

Niels Peter Høj, Switzerland

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