Perspectives
Commentary, insights, and public engagement on geotechnical engineering and sustainability
The ground beneath our cities holds answers that the world has not yet thought to ask for.
Geotechnical engineering sits at the intersection of climate response, urban resilience, and the clean energy transition. Yet it rarely commands the public or policy attention it deserves. I write and speak to change that - translating rigorous science into accessible insights for industry, policymakers, and the public.
The underground is the defining infrastructure of the next century. The sooner that is understood, the faster we move.
A Vision for a Stronger Global ISSMGE
As President of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, I have outlined seven strategic pillars to modernise the Society, expand its global reach, and strengthen its impact.
- Champion sustainability and climate action across the profession
- Build a global educational platform for geotechnical engineers
- Modernise governance and increase transparency
- Strengthen regional society engagement and inclusion
- Promote innovation and technology transfer
- Expand the Society's voice in public policy
- Develop the next generation of geotechnical leaders
"The most important advances in geotechnical engineering will not come from incremental refinement. They will come from those willing to reimagine what the ground can do - not merely as a foundation, but as an energy source, a carbon repository, a living material."Lyesse Laloui
Recent perspectives
The Ground as a Strategic Resource for Sustainable and Resilient Cities
Making the case for the underground as a civic asset rather than a construction constraint, drawing on Vienna's geothermal metro and Tokyo's flood-control reservoirs.
2026 Ground EngineeringQ&A: Sustainable Geotechnical Solutions and Collaboration
On the future of sustainable practice, the profession's responsibility to the climate challenge, and the DFI John Mitchell Lecture in Bruges.
2025 Les DécouveursLe sous-sol va-t-il régler tous nos problèmes?
A wide-ranging French-language interview covering nuclear waste disposal, CO2 sequestration, energy geostructures, and bio-cementation. 24,000+ views.
2025 Canal AlphaLes géostructures de l'EPFL apparaissent à Neuchâtel
Television coverage of energy geostructures deployed in Swiss urban infrastructure - the moment laboratory science becomes city infrastructure.
2025 World Economic Forum · DavosStrategic Foresight for Cities: From Urban Systems to Measurable Proof
Panel contribution at the Braillard Foundation luncheon during the 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, Davos. January 2026.
2026 YouTube / EPFLBio-cementation: Transforming Scientific Discoveries into Market Solutions
Keynote at ENAC Research Day. How thirty years of research on bacteria and soil became a commercial product changing the construction industry.
2024 YouTube / EPFLEnergy Geotechnology: A New Era for Geotechnical Engineering
The ASCE Kersten Lecture, Minneapolis. One of the most prestigious invited lectures in the field - and a case for why the profession's moment has arrived.
2020 YouTube / EPFLIn-situ Evaluation of a Thermo-Active Underground Station
Real-world performance data from energy geostructure installations in urban metro infrastructure. VIth Madrid Subterra.
2022"Doing more renovations with current technologies would require 300,000 additional skilled workers. We cannot mobilise such a workforce. We have to innovate."Lyesse Laloui · Rent Fair, Geneva