November/December 2022 - 55

MAURICE BOTTIAU, PRESIDENT
REGIONAL REPORT
DFI Europe
I am delighted to address you as
incoming president of the DFI Europe
Regional Chapter. I am writing this on my way back from DFI's
annual conference in National Harbor, Maryland, where I have
seen many good, and old, friends. As many of you know, I have
been a member of DFI for more than 30 years. I have been a
trustee for more than 10 years and a founding member of the
European Chapter in 2005. There's no need to say I am deeply
attached to this great organization. I like its spirit, its objectives
and the way that each individual can make their mark,
depending on the level of energy they put in. You therefore
have my full commitment to serve all members with
dedication and enthusiasm for the next few years.
be seconded by Anne Lemnitzer from the University of
California, Irvine, as vice president. And, last but not least, I
know that I can count on the continuous support of our
secretary, Monika De Vos of the Belgian Building Research
Institute. As in many organizations, secretaries are the real
working forces. They ensure the continuity and action, and De
Vos is very helpful in this.
DFI Europe's board meeting in Stuttgart, Germany
Unfortunately, at this very moment, our environment is not
DFI Europe's presidency handover from Frank Haehnig to Maurice Bottiau
Let me first express my gratitude to Frank Haehnig, who
has been president for 10 years - can you believe this? Taking
over in 2012 from my good friend and co-founder of DFI
Europe Sikko Doornbos, Haehnig has been leading us to
where we are with energy and vision. Under his leadership,
we have been growing our membership, creating several new
committees, hosting many seminars and organizing joint
conferences with the European Federation of Foundation
Contractors (EFFC). I will do my best to follow his path and
lead DFI Europe to the next level.
I can count on a dedicated board of
highly skilled professionals, contractors,
suppliers, engineers and academics, and
I am pleased to welcome Valérie
Bernhardt, managing director of SetecTerrasol
in France, who accepted a
position on our board starting in 2023. I
am also pleased to announce that I will
at its best, with the war still at our doors, energy prices reaching
outrageous levels and potential recessions in many European
countries. It is important in these difficult times that we
continue sharing knowledge and experiences and look at the
global picture. DFI can be a beacon to follow through the sea of
obstacles and unknowns, helping new generations to learn and
exchange. This is why we keep investing in our working groups
and organizing seminars and conferences. Sustainability and
digitalization, which are of utmost importance for our
profession, will remain high on the agenda, as they were during
our conference in Berlin with very successful workshops. We
also intend to increase our collaboration on these two topics
with the EFFC, which shares similar objectives.
Our next event will be a two-day conference with a third
day site visit on foundation decarbonization and reuse, which
we are organizing with KIVI in Amsterdam, March 21-23, 2023.
This topic is getting
a lot more exposure considering the
current trend of rebuilding/reconditioning existing buildings
and structures. The question of the validation and reuse of
existing foundations has long been a difficult debate between
specialists. We intend to help move this forward.
Look for more news from DFI Europe in later issues of the
magazine. Thank you for your support and do not hesitate to
contact us at
Valérie Bernhardt
questions you may have. We are here for you, DFI members!
www.dfi-europe.org with any suggestions or
DEEP FOUNDATIONS * NOV/DEC 2022 * 55
November/December 2022

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