On 11 March 2024, IABSE, represented in France by AFGC (French Association of Civil Engineering), organized its General Assembly. In the morning, Arnaud Lana and Mathieu Vuillerme from EDF (Electricité de France) presented a conference on the construction of the Hinkley Point nuclear power plant in the United Kingdom. The various speakers immersed the audience in the fascinating world of the Hinkley Point construction site. The challenges linked to Civil Engineering in the construction of these new reactors are immense, and the audience was impressed by the technical challenges and the innovative solutions presented. This conference was followed by a round table discussion on the attractiveness of the civil engineering profession. In the afternoon, the Albert Caquot Prize and the three AFGC Prizes were awarded for 2023.
Albert Caquot Prize was Awarded to Jürg Conzett
The Albert Caquot Prize rewards an engineer for his entire career, in particular for his scientific and technical work, projects, and achievements, but also for his moral qualities and influence in the construction world. This prize is awarded every other year to a French engineer and the other year to a foreign engineer. For the year 2023, Claude Le Quere (AFGC President) awarded the Albert Caquot Prize to Jürg Conzett. Born in 1956, Jürg Conzett is a Swiss engineer who graduated from the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (E.P.F.L). He worked between 1981 and 1987 with Peter Zumthor (Swiss Architect – Pritzker Prize 2009), then opened his own office with BRONZINI & GARTMANN in Haldenstein (canton of Graubünden). Designer of original bridges in which he subtly combines traditional materials, stone, wood, reinforced or pre-stressed concrete and cables with structural intelligence (funicular shapes, vaults, use of natural relief). His emblematic bridges are the Traversina footbridges, the Suransuns bridge, the Vals bridge and the Bennau footbridge. Also remarkable is the replacement of the deck of the Muota bridge in Ibach (2000 –2001). The original bridge of Robert Maillard was replaced by a concrete deck whose lines are reminiscent of the work of the Italian engineer Morandi. Jürg Conzett's remarkable structures are mainly located in the Chur region and in Vals. Inventive, innovative, and above all an engineer, he stands out for his original and vernacular work, combining civil engineering and architectural quality, which places him among the best European designers of art structures.
Left: Jürg Conzett receiving the Albert Caquot Prize and Medal from Claude Le Quere. Right: Pont de Vals (Grisons) - Vals Bridge in Switzerland by Jürg Conzett (2009)
Awarding of AFGC Prizes
During the General Assembly, the French NG of IABSE and AFGC awarded the “AFGC Prizes”—intended to reward one or more engineers, researchers, academics or competent personalities for achieving remarkable work in the scientific, technical or operational field. This Prize was awarded to Laetita Van Schoors (Gustave Eiffel University), Etienne Combescure (setec), and to Jean-Marie Brito (Ecole Centrale de Nantes).
Laetitia Van Schoors receiving the AFGC Prize and Medal from Bruno Godart (former President of AFGC and Chair of the French NG of IABSE)
Laetitia Van Schoors is an expert in the field of polymer and composite materials. After her PhD on this subject at the University of Savoie, she joined the LCPC (which became IFSTTAR, then Gustave Eiffel University) as head of the “polymer sustainability” group. Since 2020, she has been the Research Director at the “physico-chemical behavior and durability of materials” laboratory of UGE. She participated, between 2013 and 2016, in setting up a certified geosynthetics laboratory within LPEE in Morocco. She also works as an Associate Professor at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec (Canada). She has particularly contributed to research and expertise on prestressing and cable stay ducts, on the recycling of polymers and composites, on the definition of relevant indicators for predicting the durability of these materials with notable applications to guide the choice of geosynthetics for reinforced soils depending on the environment.
Etienne Combescure receiving the AFGC Prize and Medal from Jean-Bernard Datry (Vice-president of AFGC and Vice-Chair of the French NG of IABSE).
Etienne Combescure, a graduate of Ecole Centrale de Paris, is a design engineer who worked first at SETEC TPI, then at Freyssinet for 11 years, including 5 years in Australia, and then again at SETEC in 2018. It operates in the field of bridges and complex structures and all engineering activities (project design, execution studies, project management). His achievements include the execution studies of the Megajoule Laser, launched bridges in Australia (Iron Cove) and Turkey, the development of a module on the opening of cracks and delayed deformations in Pythagoras (the SETEC finite element code), external control of viaducts on the Haïfa and Greater Paris metros, etc. He has specialised for several years in interventions on suspension and cable-stayed bridges: expertise of the Masséna bridge on the ring road in Paris, Rochers Noirs viaduct in Corrèze, Varades bridge (44), Pont d'Eymeux Saint Lattier (38), Chavanon viaduct, and others.
Jean-Marie Brito (right) receiving the AFGC Prize and Medal from Renaud Leconte (Chairman of the Scientific and Technical Committee of AFGC)
Jean-Marie Brito, graduated from Ecole des Mines de Douai and began his career at the French National Center of Emergency Bridges (CNPS), where he stayed for nearly 20 years; he was thus confronted with multiple emergencies in several countries (floods, natural disasters, armed conflicts, etc.) with repercussions on infrastructure and participated in the establishment of around a hundred emergency bridges. In this context, he has also participated in numerous assessments and interventions to support the development of emerging countries. In 2013, he joined the French National Railway Company: SNCF Réseau as technical manager of bridges, where he manages a team of materials experts (masonry, wrought iron, steel, reinforced and prestressed concrete) for inspections of structures to formulate diagnosis or for defining the repair solutions. He is particularly interested in the issues of Internal Sulphate Reaction both in terms of detection/monitoring and research. He also supports “one-shot” operations to replace structures over a very short period, which constitutes technical challenges.