The Role of Geotechnical Engineers in Sustainable Construction Processes: A Regard to Soil-Structure Interaction Problems

Abstract

Sustainability-related issues became more and more important in these last decades owing to the increasing awareness in modern societies of the limitedness of the resources at the global planetary scale. Environmental resources, in particular, play a key role in this perspective since (i) they are hardly recoverable and (ii) their uncontrolled consumption may trigger complex chains of events, with potentially catastrophic consequences. In technological advanced societies like ours, the Engineering contribution is essential to correctly deal with these problems, and engineers (both scientists and practitioners) cannot disregard these topics. With reference to Built Environment, the contribution of Geotechnical Engineers can in particular give relevant positive benefits, since Geotechnical works very often involve large (or very large) soil volumes, and are in general conceived as long-lasting (if not permanent) interventions. In the paper, with specific reference to soil-structure interaction problems, some general considerations are presented, by putting in evidence the contribution that Geotechnical Engineers can give to the design process, since its early stages. Several examples of recent case studies will be reviewed, with reference to the protection of historic and cultural heritage, to slope stabilizing interventions, to the protection of strategic infrastructures like buried pipelines, in particular by employing innovative upscaling approaches based on the “macroelement” concept.