«Building for eternity» – this was one of the striking titles offered by one of the 18 guest contributors during the Geotechnik Schweiz Spring Conference 2025 in Basel, and it perfectly captures the essence of what we’ve just experienced: two remarkable days discussing with global experts one of humanity’s most ambitious and historic ventures: the safe storage of nuclear waste in deep geological repositories.
This is no ordinary idea. It began over 50 years ago, and we know for sure it will take shape over the next 50, everywhere in the world where nuclear power is produced. The scale alone is hard to grasp — stretching across generations, disciplines, and political landscapes. And yet, what sets this concept apart is also its extraordinary richness in geotechnical data, collected and curated over decades with scientific precision and collaborative spirit.
A big thank you to all the speakers: Lyesse Laloui who also curated the program, Maurus Alig, TobiasVogt, Alessio Ferrari, Silvio Giger, Eleonora Crisci, Jürgen Brommundt, Linard Cantieni, Alexandros N. Nordas, Peter Kirchhofer, Severin Wälchli, Séverine Levasseur, Sophie Haapalehto and to Laurent Pitteloud for hosting.
A big shoutout to the sponsors for their support and engaging booths: Nagra, Amberg Infra 7D, GEO5 Software, GeoDev Sàrl/ZSoil, Solexperts, Huggenberger, Ingware
This is 21st-century geotechnics at its most meaningful.
