Preface-Paper

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The Piling and Foundation Specialist Federation (PFSF) and Deep Foundations Institute (DFI) planned their second joint Australasian conference for Sydney in March 2021, following the success of their inaugural 2017 event in Melbourne. The organizations share a commitment to advancing the deep foundations industry, including promoting safety, skills, standards and practical guidance.<br /><br />The call for abstracts attracted a strong and diverse response. Papers covered case studies, ground improvement, pile design, construction practices, foundation testing and the increasingly important topic of workplace safety. Because the COVID-19 pandemic led to travel restrictions and cancellations, the organizers postponed the in-person conference rather than hold it by video. They chose to publish the selected technical papers in advance so their findings could be shared and the authors’ work recognized.<br /><br />Featured presentations address dynamic testing of non-uniform deep foundations; liquefaction mitigation using timber piles and controlled blasting; contracting, risk sharing and their effects on innovation and project outcomes; and ground improvement in highly variable geotechnical conditions. Invited keynote speakers also discuss case studies, safety in design, marine foundations and pile testing.<br /><br />All accepted papers underwent peer review. The organizers thank the authors, reviewers, presenters, session chairs, volunteers, sponsors and exhibitors, and recognize the leadership of Mark Johnson of PFSF and Theresa Engler of DFI in managing the conference under difficult circumstances.

Keywords

Piling and Foundation Specialist Federation

Deep Foundations Institute

deep foundations

geotechnical engineering

pile design

ground improvement

foundation testing

workplace safety

COVID-19 postponement

Australasian conference