International Symposium on Geotechnical aspects of Heritage Structure

A three-day Symposium on Geotechnical Aspects of Heritage Structures (SGHS 2019) is organised by National Centre for Safety of Heritage Structure of IIT Madras (NCSHS-IITM) and IGS-Chennai Chapter in collaboration with IGS-Trichy Chapter and Anna University under the aegis of Technical Committee (TC301) of International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE).

The preservation of historic sites is one of the most challenging problems facing modern civilization. It involves several factors belonging to diff erent fi elds of engineering and architecture. Therefore it is challenging to fi nd appropriate holistic intervention techniques and standard design approaches.

In this regard, the central theme of the symposium revolves around geotechnical aspects of heritage structures focusing on issues ranging from geological and geotechnical challenges in historical sites to geohazard assessment and geotechnical interventions towards rehabilitation.

Chennai, formerly known as Madras, is the capital city of the southern state of Tamil Nadu, India’s sixth largest metropolis with a population of 8.7 million. Chennai boasts of a rich and varied history extending over several millennia, ranging from prehistoric megalithic sites in the suburbs to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of 8th century AD. Shore Temples of Mamallapuram, located 58 km south of the city Chennai, finds mention in ancient Sangam literature dating from 3rd century BC, and witnessed Armenian and Portuguese settlements among others. The city was home to the first major British establishment in India with Fort St. George as headquarters in the year 1639 but was briefl y also with the French. Madras was an experimental ground for many masterpieces of the Indo-Saracenic architecture, a fusion style introduced in colonial India. Chennai is on UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) list for its rich Indian classical music tradition referred to as Carnatic.

Home to some of the earliest engineering and medical schools in the sub-continent, today, Chennai is recognised as a hub for education, health care, IT and manufacturing industry, earning the tag of “Detroit of the East” for its car manufacturing industry. 

This port city is serviced by an international airport well connected to several destinations in Europe and Asia. In September, Chennai experiences average high and low temperatures of 34°C and 26°C, respectively, and a relative humidity of 70% with less than ten rainy days.