The TC301 International Symposium is a premium quadrennial event held under the auspices of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSGME) with the scientific supervision of the Technical Committee on the Preservation of Historic Sites (TC301). The host of the Conference is the Hellenic Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (HSSMGE). The Conference aspiration is to create a forum for interaction and exchange of ideas that will promote and diffuse the culture of conservation within the geotechnical community, and will facilitate inclusive discussions with architects, art historians, and engineers.
The first TC301 was held in Napoli in 1997 followed by two other conferences in 2017 and 2022 in the same city. Back then, the focus was to establish a common understanding on the many and longstanding challenges involved in the preservation of monuments and set the framework of collaboration among experts.
Today, the challenge is still on and increasing. Climate change is affecting the structural stability and appearance of monuments and threatens them by extinction when located in the path of rising seas. On the other hand, new technologies and AI are building momentum in the engineering practice, advocating increasing capacities in solving complex problems from which the preservation science can benefit from.
The upcoming TC301 International Symposium which for the first time will be held in Athens, broaden its scope to discuss the latest advancements in emerging topics, maintaining however the core focus of the previous conferences.
An ever-changing and vibrant metropolis bursting with creativity. From the iconic Acropolis rock and the historic neighborhood of Plaka, to the exquisite New Acropolis Museum and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre, Athens’ inspiring ancient history blends harmonically with modern Greek culture in a unique way.