The 5th International Workshop on Micropiles was held in Seattle, WA, from September 24-27, 2003. This workshop included a total of 53 members and 14 companions from the U.S., Canada, England, Finland, Germany, France and Japan. The delegation comprised micropile contractors, designers, researchers, suppliers, manufacturers and owners who contributed to an intense 3-day workshop on all aspects of micropile design, construction, testing and research. Each day’s presentations and discussions centered around the following themes: Day 1 – State of International Knowledge (Design, Construction, Research, QA/QC and Performance Monitoring); Day 2 – Research and Development, and Future Research Needs Assessment; and Day 3 – Education and Knowledge Dissemination.
The IWM delegation observed a moment of silence in memory of Dr. Fernando Lizzi, the visionary leader of the IWM and inventor of the “pali radice” or “root pile” foundation system, who passed away on August 28, 2003.
The highlight of the first plenary session was the presentation of the 2nd Lizzi Lecture “Lizzi’s Philosphy: Concepts to Practice” by James Mason (then of McFarland-Johnson)
