1. Bern University of Applied Sciences
  2. News
  3. Events
  4. ICTB 2021 PLUS

ICTB 2021 PLUS 4th International Conference on Timber Bridges

The Bern University of Applied Sciences in cooperation with Empa – Swiss Federal Laboratories for Material and Technologies have the pleasure to welcome the international scientific community for timber bridges in Switzerland.

NEW DATE

09.05.2022 until 12.05.2022 – Bern University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland and Online. Hybrid conference with online participation/presentations or being onsite as usual.

Factsheet

  • Start date 09.05.2022
  • End date 12.05.2022
  • Place Bern University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland and Online. Hybrid conference with online participation/presentations or being onsite as usual.
  • Application deadline 01.04.2022 Onsite | 12.05.2022 Online
  • Status Full paper submission until 1st March 22 via email (ictb21@bfh.ch)
  • Costs CHF 790 Onsite / CHF 290 Online participant

Contact

ICTB 2021 PLUS | Downloads

ICTB 2021 PLUS

The ICTB 2021 PLUS will be a meeting point for engineers, architects, experts, as well as scientists and students from all over the world in the field of timber bridges, including highway, railway and pedestrian structures. The successful conferences ICTB 2010 in Lillehammer, Norway, ICTB 2013 in Las Vegas, USA, and ICTB 2017 in Skellefteå, Sweden is now being followed up by a forth conference in Switzerland, where you can be a guest or join as online participant.

Within the conference, we would like to show the past, current and future in timber bridge engineering:

  • Railway, roadway or slow traffic timber bridges
  • Design and construction of timber bridges
  • Maintenance of historical timber bridges
  • Quality management
  • Constructive protection, materials and coatings
  • Assessment and monitoring of timber bridges

Your benefits

  • Become an ICTB 2021 PLUS participant or sponsor/exhibitor for your strategic position and relationships
  • Meet and build contacts with experts, producers and scientists from all over the world
  • Share experiences and information in the area of timber bridge research, construction and maintenance
  • Attend a technical tour on recent and historical timber bridges in Switzerland 
  • About 100 people from several countries all over the world attend the conference each time. 

Promotional video ICTB 2021 PLUS

International Scientific Committee

Organizational Committee

Bern University of Applied Sciences

The Bern University of Applied Sciences represents an innovative, attractive and young timber main research centre in Switzerland. The focus of the four research institutes at the Bern University of Applied Sciences is on practical solutions. New products, building optimizations and solutions are developed by a team of around 140 scientists together with the industry.

www.bfh.ch

EMPA | Materials Science and Technology

The Empa is the famous building material testing laboratory of Switzerland for over 100 years. The five “Research Focus Areas” concern their work on converting research and technology into marketable innovations.

The research work of the hosts of the ICTB 2021 PLUS comprises projects in e.g. high performing material and connections in hardwood, quality assurance of timber structures, assessment and reinforcement of large span timber structures, long-term behaviour of block-glued glulam members under varying moisture content, and the assessment and non-destructive testing of timber structures. The laboratories and Tech Park at Bern University of Applied Sciences are open to visit for guests in Switzerland.

  • Prof. Andreas Müller
  • Dr. Bettina Franke
  • Robert Widmann
  • Prof. Dr. Steffen Franke

Sponsors

Become an ICTB 2021 sponsor.

Download for Sponsors:

Sponsors

Sponsors PLUS

www.immerag.ch
www.eurotec.team
Logo Heusser Holzleimbau
logo neue holzbau

Sponsors PLUS

pro-geomonitoring-logo
timbatec logo
logo rotho blaas
logo ts3

Keynote Speakers

rune abrahamsen fnb1

Modern timber bridges

Rune Abrahamsen (Msc Structural Engineering)
Moelven Limtre AS

More information
frenette-caroline

The road to durable bridge design: An experience from Québec

Caroline Frenette (Prof. PhD Ing.)
Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR)

More information
frank-miebach

Wooden bridges enrich the world

Frank Miebach (Dipl.-Ing. FH)
Ingenieurbüro Miebach

More information
andreas-mueller

Lifetime and quality of timber bridges – View from academic and practice side

Andreas Müller (Professor)
Bern University of Applied Sciences
Institute for Timber, Structure and Architecture

More information
stefan-zoellig

Infrastructure made of wood - opportunities for decarbonization of the public sector

Stefan Zöllig
Timbatec Holzbauingenieure Schweiz AG

More information

Technical Contribution, Full papers, Presentation

The second call of abstracts has been opend. We are happy to announce that many engineers, architects, researchers and PHD students submitted already numerous abstracts for presentation in the first Call of Abstracts.

The full papers will be reviewed for high quality and completeness of content including state of art, material and methods, results and discussion. The full paper will be upload on a secure conference website during the time of the conference and published in an E-Book as proceedings of the ICTB 2021PLUS conference.

  • Deadline full papers: 1st March 2022
  • Please hand in your presentation as *.ppt or *.pdf until 25th April 2022 in case of technical issues
  • Technical presentation time will be 15 minutes plus 5 minutes for Q&A
  • Presentation can be done online and onsite at the conference venue
  • Pre-recorded presentations are welcome und will be uploaded on the secure conference website for all participants especially outside of Europe
Template for Abstract/Fullpaper (DOCX, 145 KB)

Conference Programme

ICTB 2021 Programm Enlarge image

Technical tour and social events for onsite participation (included)

The topography of Switzerland requires a great number of bridges thereunder many famous and innovative timber bridges. The history from still existing Swiss timber bridges stretches from the “Kapellbrücke” in Lucerne (1333) via the “Grubenmann bridge” (1767) and hundreds more historical covered bridges to modern bridges like Neumatt bridge (2013).

Most of the historical bridges are used for pedestrians and cyclists as well as road traffic up to 16 tonnes; whereas modern timber bridges can carry traffic loads up to 40 tonnes. The conference tour will give a short impression of famous, efficient and innovative timber bridges in Switzerland as well as a technical discussion with planers, engineers or owners.

  • 09.05.2022 Technical tour to recent and historical timber bridges start/end Biel/Bienne
  • 09.05.2022 Welcome evening with apéro at the Bern University of Applied Sciences
  • 11.05.2022 Visit OMEGA Museum including Dinner

Besides bridges, Biel/Bienne shows various examples of wooden buildings. Two innovative examples are currently in planning and erection. The first one is the new headquarter for the Swatch Group and Omega designed by the world-famous Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, (swatchgroup.com). The second one is the new campus of the Bern University of Applied Sciences. The project – named “trèfle” - has been designed by a pool of architects from Zurich. It is proposed to present/visit wooden buildings on a short tour in the evening of the conference.

Fees + Registration

Onsite participant
Regular fee

 CHF 790
  • all onsite and online sessions and exhibitor presentations
  • proceedings and presentations
  • lunches and coffee breaks
  • technical timber bridge tour, Monday 9 May 2022
  • welcome event, Monday 9 May 2022
  • conference dinner at OMEGA-Museum, Wednesday 11 May 2022

Online participant
Regular fee

 CHF 290
  • all technical sessions and exhibitors on online platform
  • proceedings and presentations

Onsite participant
Student fee

 CHF 290
  • all onsite and online sessions and exhibitor presentations
  • proceedings and presentations
  • lunches and coffee breaks

Online participant
Student fee

 CHF 140
  • all technical sessions and exhibitors on online platform
  • proceedings and presentations

Technical Tour
Student fee

 CHF 60
  • technical timber bridge tour, Monday 9 May 2022

Social Event
Student fee

 CHF 140
  • welcome event, Monday 9 May 2022
  • conference dinner at OMEGA-Museum, Wednesday 11 May 2022

Accompanying person

 CHF 240
  • technical timber bridge tour, Monday 9 May 2022
  • welcome event, Monday 9 May 2022
  • conference dinner at OMEGA-Museum, Wednesday 11 May 2022

 

Regulations and special options for your registration

  • ONSITE participant registration for conference ICTB 2021 PLUS is binding. Withdrawal of the registration as onsite participant is possible before the registration deadline 1st April 2022 (cancellation fee of 50 CHF). In case of non-attendance, withdrawal after 1st April 2022 or expulsion from conference ICTB 2021 PLUS the full registration fee is due. In case of the meeting changes to an ONLINE Event due to Covid restrictions your ticket will be automatically changed to online registration and you will get a refund of the difference.
  • ONLINE registration for conference ICTB 2021 PLUS is binding. Withdrawal of the registration as online participant is possible until 2 Mai 2022 (cancellation fee of 50 CHF).
  • SPECIAL AGGREEMENT: registered ONLINE and ONSITE participant with valid ticket, can swap to another option (online to onsite or onsite to online) without any fee until 1st Mai 2022. Please send an email to the conference secretary ictb21@bfh.ch.
  • Students need proof of valid evidence of student status, copy of student ID.
  • Abstract submitted and accepted within the first call do not need to be resubmitted.

Registration

Online registration for participants

Any further questions?

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions.

Interested in a FREE onsite attendance at the conference venue?

 (Limited space, Evaluation process)

  • Are you a student currently?
  • Would you like to support us in the organization of the event, during or before the conference date?
  • What do you get? You will get a free onsite ticket for all onsite and online sessions and exhibitor presentations; program, proceedings and presentations; lunches and coffee breaks
  • Send us an email with your motivation and experiences (CV) to ictb21@bfh.ch

Venue

The inhabitants of the bilingual city of Biel/Bienne are lucky to live in a region where others come for their holidays. With the largest interconnected lake and river area in Switzerland on its doorstep; all around is wonderful, unspoiled countryside.

On the other side, the watch industry like Rolex, the world's leading watch brand, as well as the Swatch Group, the world's biggest watchmaking group are part of the town just as is the sports centre of Switzerland with the WTA tournament "ladies open" or the Olympic sports center in Magglingen. The city has numerous cultural attractions and hosts international events every year. Two museums, in a leafy alley setting – Neues Museum Biel and Pasquart, make up the city’s «Museum mile». Biel/Bienne can easily be reached with public transportation from the international airports Zurich, Geneva and Basel within 90 minutes.

bfh-ahb-biel
Bern University of Applied Sciences in Biel Switzerland

Accomodation

If you have not yet booked your accommodation, we recommend making a reservation at one of the hotels listed below, where we have blocked some rooms:

MERCURE HOTEL PLAZA BIEL

You may book directly with the hotel (www.accorhotels.com/Biel, E-Mail: h6166@accor.com) at the cost of CHF 165.00 per night. Please refer to the key word “The 4th International Conference on Timber Bridges ICTB 2021”

City Hotel Biel Bienne

You may book directly with the hotel (https://www.cityhotel-biel.ch/en/rooms, E-Mail: info@cityhotel-biel.ch) at the cost of CHF 100.00 (Single Room) / CHF 139.00 (Double Room) per night. Please refer to the key word “The 4th International Conference on Timber Bridges ICTB 2021”

Hotel Artist

You may book directly with the hotel (https://artist-biel.ch/buchen/, E-Mail: info@artist-biel.ch). We have no contingent reserved at this hotel. Room bookings are upon availability.