REGIONAL REPORT DFI Middle East Co-sponsored by the Deep Foundations Institute, the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority (DTMFZA), and the American University in Dubai (AUD), and supported by the UAE Society of Engineers, the conference built upon the success of DFIMEC 2012. It provided a top-quality forum for discussing cutting-edge technologies and current developments in the field through case histories. The conference exhibits, running in parallel with the technical sessions, enabled companies to showcase their qualifications and project portfolios. DFIMEC 2014 chairs were Professor Alaa K. Ashmawy of Registration for DFIMEC 2014 2014 DFI Middle East Conference The Middle East Chapter of DFI organized the DFI Middle East Conference (DFIMEC 2014) in Dubai, UAE April 2-3, 2014. DFIMEC is the region’s leading technical conference in the field of foundation engineering. This conference provided an opportunity for the region’s geotechnical engineering practitioners and academicians to interface, exchange information and experiences, and present the latest developments in foundation design and construction. American University in Dubai and Professor Rolf Katzenbach of Technical University Darmstadt, Germany. The Technical Program chair was the late Dr. Khaldoun Fahoum, who was also the chair of DFI Middle East. Technical and Organizing Committee members were Marwan Alzaylaie, chair of DTMFZA; Emad Sharif of ACES; Faizur Rahman of DTMFZA; and Salah Al Dilmi of Road and Traffic Authority (RTA) Dubai. Six Keynote Speakers DFIMEC 2014 featured six prominent keynote presentations. Professor Katzenbach, director of the Institute and Laboratory of Geotechnics, Technical University Darmstadt, Germany, and chair of ISSMGE Technical Committee TC 212 – Deep Foundations, a world-renowned expert on pile-raft foundations, delivered the keynote lecture “Value Engineering for Deep Foundation A Tribute to Khaldoun Fahoum, Ph.D. DFI Trustee Dr. Khaldoun Fahoum, chair of the DFI Middle East Regional Chapter and vice president and Middle East regional manager for Langan Engineering, died on July 23, 2014. Throughout his 20-year career he made contributions to major engineering projects in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman and the United States. Fahoum was involved with the development of several multi-million dollar projects throughout the Middle East and the U.S. including: Universal Studios, Cleveland Clinic Hospital, and the Lambert Airport Expansion in the U.S., Abu Dhabi Central Market (UAE), the Doha Convention Center and Tower (Qatar), King Abdulla Financial District (KSA), and numerous offshore projects. Fahoum had extensive experience in deep and raft foundations for high-rise buildings, tank settlement analyses, liquefaction analyses, deep offshore foundations design and testing, and leg penetration analyses for large jack-up rigs. He was also highly experienced in numerous soil improvement techniques including dynamic compaction, stone columns, vibrofloatations, dynamic surcharge, soil mixing and others. Fahoum obtained his B.S. in Civil Engineering from Damascus University, Syria; his M.S. in Civil Engineering (Structural) from The Catholic University of America, U.S.; and his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (Geotechnical) from the University of Maryland, U.S. “On behalf of DFI’s membership and leadership, I extend our deepest condolences to Khaldoun Fahoum’s family, friends and co- workers,” says Theresa Rappaport, executive director, DFI. “His contributions to DFI’s Middle East committee activities and service on the DFI Board of Trustees this past year during his battle are all greatly appreciated. We will miss his insight moving forward, but will always remember the input he provided towards our goals.” DEEP FOUNDATIONS • SEPT/OCT 2014 • 53
