- Story
Special civil engineering – resource efficiency and innovation
01.12.2025 The infrastructure sector is facing crucial challenges in Switzerland. Climate change, dwindling resources and increasing safety requirements require innovative solutions in the construction industry. Transformative thinking and responsible action are key to creating infrastructures that are built with efficient use of resources in mind, while also being cost-effective, resilient and future-proof.
Key points at a glance
- In the face of climate change, resource scarcity and increasing safety requirements, new approaches in civil engineering are necessary.
- Invisible yet essential infrastructure such as tunnels, dams and protective structures are vital for safeguarding our quality of life and energy supply.
- The development of new materials, the reuse of excavation and demolition materials and resource-efficient construction methods are key to reducing carbon emissions and preserving natural resources.
- The Burgdorf Geotechnics Day on 23 January 2026 presents current strategies and practical examples of maintenance, renovation and reconstruction of excavations, retaining structures and infrastructures.
Our structures: invisible yet essential
Geotechnical infrastructures provide an invisible foundation for our quality of life. While they are mostly underground and therefore mostly invisible, they are paramount for safe buildings, efficient transportation infrastructures, dams for energy generation and protective structures against natural hazards. These structures interact directly with soil, rock and groundwater and require highly specialised expertise at the interface of civil engineering, geology and hydrogeology. However, how can we make these essential infrastructures more resource-efficient and cost-effective?
Developing new building materials, conserving resources, optimising costs
The Geotechnics and Special Civil Engineering group at Bern University of Applied Sciences has been working for years on the development of geotechnical construction methods that specifically preserve natural resources. The projects include the development and patenting of innovative geotechnical solutions. The focus is on lighter anchoring systems and combined protective structures against avalanches and rockfall, soil stabilisation techniques with reduced impact on groundwater and the reuse of excavation and demolition materials, which allows a significant reduction of landfill volumes and creates closed-loop material cycles.
Precise planning facilitated by improved subsoil knowledge
A better understanding of the subsoil and geology is now attainable thanks to specific laboratory and field tests, as well as machine learning algorithms. This approach ensures more precise dimensioning, eliminates surprises, facilitates risk calculation and optimises resource utilisation. It has direct benefits for clients and businesses, such as shorter construction times and reduced costs.
From research to practice
Our research findings and the innovative techniques made possible are directly integrated into our education and continuing education programmes, while the fundamentals of civil engineering remain firmly anchored at the core of the training. Bachelor and master students are actively involved in our research projects and can immediately put their application-oriented knowledge into practice. Specialist conferences, continuing education programmes and active participation in national and international standards bodies ensure that the subject-area group is able to continuously transfer knowledge to construction companies, engineering bureaux and clients from the public sector. The Burgdorf Geotechnics Day on 23 January 2026 represents a concrete example of knowledge transfer. The event brings together experts in planning, execution and research, offering insights into new technologies, implementation techniques and planning strategies.
Innovation and partnership
Switzerland builds on the close collaboration between higher education institutions and industry, supported by innovation funding and financing agencies such as Innosuisse. This approach allows the swift conversion of research findings into marketable solutions. Innovative technologies are developed and implemented in practice in the context of close cooperation. This positions Switzerland as a leading innovator in the field of sustainable civil engineering technologies and secures the competitiveness of our construction industry, while also contributing to its international reputation – an important locational advantage in the global competition for sustainable and future-proof infrastructure solutions.
Burgdorf Geotechnics Day BFH
How can geotechnical structures be operated safely, economically, and sustainably? The Burgdorf Geotechnical Day presents current strategies and practical examples for the maintenance, renovation, and reconstruction of excavation pits, retaining structures, and infrastructure.The event brings together experts from the fields of planning, execution, and research and offers insights into new technologies, execution techniques, and planning strategies.
Next event: Burgdorf Geotechnics Day
