June 28, 2023, Eighty Four PA:

A record number of ISM members attended the 15th International Workshop for Micropiles on May 31 – June 2, 2023, at The Sebastian in Vail, Colorado. 

“The workshop was a great opportunity for members to meet, present and exchange data, and share experiences and developments on a relatively informal basis,” said Dan MacLean, P.Eng., of Keller Canada and newly past chair of ISM. “Because the ISM workshops focus exclusively on micropiles, we are able to provide technical content that is more detailed than typically offered reasonably at more general engineering events, which cover a range of technologies.” 

The workshop included 10 sessions on micropile innovations, techniques and projects. Special lectures were delivered by David Thomas, P.G., P.E., Sam Abraham and Trey White of Colorado Department of Transportation titled “A Colorado View of Micropiles in Transportation,” and Dr. James Mason, P.E., of National Park Service titled “Reticulated Micropiles for Restoration of Historic Structures Foundations of Transportation Infrastructure.” 

The workshop also featured the 11th Lizzi Lecture, “Mainstreaming of Micropiles: Probabilistic Calibration of Axial Resistance for Load and Resistance Factor Design” presented by J. Erik Loehr, Ph.D., P.E., professor at the University of Missouri and a senior principal engineer with Dan Brown and Associates. The Lizzi Lecturer is a micropile practitioner invited by the ISM Steering Committee who is recognized by ISM as making distinguished contributions to the micropile industry. The lecture honors the spirit and memory of Dr. Fernando Lizzi (1914-2003), the visionary leader of ISM and the inventor of the “pali radice” or original “root pile” foundation system.  

The 9th Lizzi Scholarship was also presented during the conference to Kelly Flanagan, a Ph.D. candidate and adjunct instructor at North Carolina State University, who delivered a presentation on her current micropile research, “Interface Shear Strength Characterization between Subsea Installed Micropile Grout and Textured Rock for Micropiles Anchoring Offshore Renewable Ocean Energy Devices.” 

A highlight of the event was the Fourth World Cup of Micropiles, an international competition to select the best micropile project in the world. Condon-Johnson Associates of the United States was crowned the winner for its project, “Battling the Elements with Helicopters at Elevation 11,260 Feet.” Ty Jahn, P.E., delivered a fascinating presentation on the project. 

Planning has started for the 16th International Workshop for Micropiles, being held September 2025 in Valencia, Spain. Watch for details at www.ismicropiles.org.