Unified approach to soil, rock & structural mechanics including flow, thermal effects, dynamics and pushover analysis
Development began in Lausanne in 1982, followed by the first PC release in 1985. ZSoil has grown through collaboration between software developers, research laboratories and practising engineers.
Key Milestones
- 1982
Development Begins in Lausanne
Zace Services Ltd starts developing ZSoil under the supervision of Thomas Zimmermann. The founding team comprises Carlos Rodriguez, Basile Dendrou, Blaise Rebora, J. Diaz and Françoise Delaraye, with research experience at EPFL, UC Berkeley, Caltech and Purdue University.
- 1985
The First PC Version
The original PC release focuses primarily on single-phase media, bringing finite element analysis of geotechnical problems to personal computers.
- 1990
Fully Coupled Two-Phase Analysis
Version 2 introduces fully coupled two-phase media. M. Howe, E. Seker, E. Davalle and A. Truty contribute to this development. Dedicated versions with specialised capabilities are also developed for major companies.
Contributors and research affiliations
M. Howe: University of Cape Town and University of Texas at Austin; E. Seker: Technical University of Istanbul and EPFL; E. Davalle: EPFL and UC Berkeley; A. Truty: Cracow University of Technology.
- 1990s
Towards Fully Three-Dimensional Modelling
A decade-long collaboration with EPFL and Swiss engineering firms begins in the early 1990s. Research, engineering validation and financial support contribute to the development of a fully three-dimensional version of ZSoil.
Andrzej Truty has coordinated subsequent developments, following his role as chief ZSoil developer at Zace Services and later GeoDev Sàrl.
- 2022 onwards
Continuing Development at GeoDev
Since 2022, ZSoil development has been led by GeoDev Sàrl, founded by S. Commend, S. Kivell, R. F. Obrzud and M. Preisig. The software continues to evolve through close collaboration with Prof. A. Truty, K. Podleś and other researchers and practitioners.
Research & Engineering Collaboration
Academic research and practical project experience have contributed to ZSoil’s development.
At EPFL, the collaboration involved the Laboratory of Structural and Continuum Mechanics (Prof. Th. Zimmermann and Prof. F. Frey), the Laboratory of Rock Mechanics (Prof. F. Descoeudres), and the Laboratory of Soil Mechanics (Prof. L. Vulliet).
Intensive collaborations with P. Roelfstra (Delft Univ. of Technol., EPF Lausanne), Ph. Menétrey (EPF Lausanne, Univ. of Colorado, Boulder) and R.F. Obrzud (Cracow Univ. of Technol., EPF Lausanne), in particular, led to significant progress in specific chapters.
Collaboration with Prof. Bruno Sudret and the Chair of Risk, Safety and Uncertainty Quantification at ETH Zurich has supported the application of probabilistic methods to geotechnical engineering. Joint research and training connect ZSoil finite element models with UQLab, developed by Prof. Sudret, Dr Stefano Marelli and their team. Since ZSoil 2025, UQLab-powered sensitivity, reliability and Bayesian analyses have been accessible through an interface integrated into the ZSoil post-processor.
Development contributors
Contributors to the development team included: A. Urbański (Cracow Univ. of Technology), K. Podleś (Cracow Univ. of Technol.), S. Commend (EPF Lausanne), B. Radic (EPF Lausanne), W. Farra (EPF Lausanne), L. Vernier (ESTI Lille), B. Rutscho (ETS Bienne), D. Alvarez (Univ. of Catalunya), A. Wroblewski (Cracow Univ. of Technology), Y. Li (Uni. Beijing, EPF Lausanne), W. Atamaz Sibai (Univ. of Damascus, Univ. of Swansea UK, EPF Lausanne), A. Wiktor (Cracow Univ. of Technology), and J.-L. Sarf (EPF Lausanne).
Engineering partners
Several engineering companies supported the development with scientific contributions, validations and financial support: BG ingénieurs conseils SA Lausanne, GEOS ingénieurs conseils SA Genève, GVH ingénieurs conseils SA Tramelan, INTRON B.V., Yverdon, KBM Sion, Schneller-Ritz und Partner AG Ingenieurbüro Brigue, Stucky ingénieurs conseils SA Lausanne, and later Emch + Berger Ing. AG Berne, GeoMod SA and Karakas & Français SA Lausanne and Geneva.
Engineering Practice
Applications range from local stability assessments to major infrastructure projects.
ZSoil has been used in analyses for major infrastructure and urban development projects, including the Lötschberg tunnel through the Swiss Alps, the Lausanne metro extension and LEB railway tunnel, and the Nant de Drance pumped-storage plant in Valais, Switzerland. Building and foundation studies include the Pont-Rouge hub, Quartier de l’Étang and Quai des Vernets in Geneva, as well as high-rise projects in Shanghai, Suzhou and Wuhan, China. Further applications span dams, bridges, roads, deep excavations and industrial facilities, including the modernisation of Lausanne’s wastewater treatment plant. Publications and case studies document this engineering experience.
Acknowledgements
Research funding, engineering support and scientific exchanges have contributed to ZSoil’s development.
Financial support of the Swiss Commission for Technology and Innovation (CTI) and BG ingénieurs conseils SA Lausanne, GEOS ingénieurs conseils SA Genève, GVH ingénieurs conseils SA Tramelan, INTRON B.V., Yverdon, KBM Sion, Schneller-Ritz und Partner AG Ingenieurbüro Brigue, Stucky ingénieurs conseils SA Lausanne under CTI grants 2672.1, 2387.1 and 2995.1, for version 4, and grant 4182.1, for version 6, is acknowledged. Many inspiring discussions with J. P. Wolf (EPFL), T. J. R. Hughes (ICES, University of Texas, Austin), and J-H. Prevost (Princeton University) throughout the years are also acknowledged.