SAICE Geotechnical Division Evening Lecture 3: Back to Basics in Geotechnical Engineering – Lateral Support

Date: 20 October 2016
Venue: SAICE, Midrand

SAICE Geotechnical Division Evening Lecture 3: Back to Basics in Geotechnical Engineering – Lateral Support Presenter: Ken Schwartz

The term Lateral Support is significant in both a legal and engineering terms. In the law of property Lateral Support defines the absolute right that a landowner has to have his land physically supported by the adjoining land and/or underground structures. The legal aspect is emphasised from the following opening sentence of a well-known law review on Lateral Support: “Almost every construction project begins with an excavation and many still end with a lawsuit.”

A typical engineering definition of Lateral Support is: “Any bracing temporary or permanent that provides support to resist lateral forces and deflections.” The design and construction of an appropriate lateral support system is a challenging one that encompasses many aspects of geotechnical, civil and structural engineering. With the time available it is not possible to provide a comprehensive step by step procedure for the design and construction. The purpose of the lecture is to provide practical guidelines for the selection, design and construction of lateral support systems that are most commonly used in South Africa.

The lecture will be approximately 1.5h long and will be CPD accredited
(RSVP is required for CPD accreditation)
Johannesburg Date & Time: 20th October 2016, 15h30.

Venue: SAICE Head Office, Midrand. RSVP: Nicol Chang,