Symposium & User Meeting 2025
Friday 29 August 2025, 09:00–16:30 CEST
Live at HEIA Fribourg, Switzerland or online by Zoom
Room Ars3.383, Route des Arsenaux 41, 1700 Fribourg
Celebrating 40 Years of ZSoil
Registration now open
About
The symposium combines invited presentations, and contributions by ZSoil users, developers and others. It has been taking place every year in late summer over the past twenty years, at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), in Lausanne and newly at Haute Ecole d’Ingénierie et d’Architecture de Fribourg.
The users present their achievements in terms of numerical simulation in geomechanics – covering constitutive modeling, soil-structure interaction, and related structural analysis – with a focus on current and future engineering practices. Topics include theoretical foundations, practical applications, case studies, failure analysis, optimization techniques, and probabilistic approaches.
Confirmed presentations
1. Th. Zimmermann (Zace): ZSoil, forever young (Keynote Lecture)
2. GW. Byun (EG Soft): 3D modeling practice of tunnels and verification
3. M. Borgers (Illwerke): Modelling jointed rock masses using ZSoil
4. K. Dziedzic, R. Obrzud (GeoDev): Towards integrating a spatial analysis of geotechnical data into FE model creation
5. M. Preisig (GeoMod): Quantification of energy dissipation in numerical time history analyses
6. R. Maye (Karakas&Français): Secure deep excavation design near railways based on ZSoil results: insights from the Travis project
7. M. Cudny, K. Lisewska (Gdańsk University of Technology), A. Zachodni (Keller Poland), A. Truty (Cracow University of Technology): Some experiences with the new ZSoil implementation of the AHS-Brick model in FE modelling
8. J. Zannin, S. Marceta, R. Obrzud (Karakas&Français): Design of heat exchangers based on thermal response measurement and numerical simulations in ZSoil
9. Y. Ji (SDI): Analysis of the influence of a large-scale excavation cluster project on adjacent metro tunnels
10. F. Pachla, K. Podles, A. Urbanski (Cracow University of Technology): Numerical analysis of historic masonry arch viaduct
11. J. Minini, M. Wasem (HEIA): A sampling method based on highest density regions: applications to surrogate models for rare events estimation
12. S. Commend, J. Minini (HEIA): Probabilistic vs. deterministic design in Eurocodes 2.0, with potential economic gain
13. S. Kivell (GeoDev): Update on ZSoil’s developments
Who attends
Engineers and developers who need to perform accurate numerical simulations or optimizations for complex underground, above-ground, or combined structures have a unique opportunity to exchange experiences, explore state-of-the-art case studies, and gain a comprehensive introduction to 2D and 3D numerical modeling using ZSoil. This includes simulations in dry or partially saturated rock or soil, with full structural capabilities – covering soil-structure interaction, interfaces, thermal effects, ultimate load evaluation, and continuous safety assessment. Advanced features such as creep, swelling, dilation, dynamic analysis, and uncertainty quantification and probabilistic methods are also addressed.