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QUALITY SPECIFICATIONS FOR ROADWAY BRIDGES, STANDARDIZATION AT A EUROPEAN LEVEL

WG MEETINGS & WORKSHOP

An overview of Key Performance Indicators across Europe and Overseas

The main findings from WG1 and other contributions from WG2 and WG3

30th March -1st April, 2016 Metropol Palace Hotel

Belgrade, Serbia

ACTION CONTACTS

Chair of the Action Prof. José C. Matos [email protected]

Vice Chair of the Action Prof. Joan R. Casas [email protected]

Local organizers Prof. Rade Hajdin

Prof. Snezana Masovic

Prof. Nikola Tanasic

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

Action websites http://www.tu1406.eu http://www.cost.eu

mailto:[email protected]





http://www.cost.eu/

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CONTENTS 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 4

1.1. About COST ............................................................................................................................ 4

1.2. COST Action TU1406 .............................................................................................................. 5

1.2.1. Abstract ............................................................................................................................... 5

1.2.2. Action TU1406 Working Groups .......................................................................................... 5

2. WG Meetings & Workshop ......................................................................................................... 7

2.1. Objectives ................................................................................................................................ 7

2.2. Programme .............................................................................................................................. 7

2.3. Location, Dates and Travelling .............................................................................................. 10

2.3.1. Location and Date ............................................................................................................. 10

2.3.2. How to get to Metropol Palace .......................................................................................... 10

2.4. Accommodation ..................................................................................................................... 12

2.5. Important Deadlines .............................................................................................................. 13

2.6. Committees ........................................................................................................................... 13

2.6.1. Scientific Committee ......................................................................................................... 13

2.6.2. Organizing Committee ...................................................................................................... 14

2.6.3. Secretariat ......................................................................................................................... 14

2.6.4. Local Organizers ............................................................................................................... 14

3. How to participate ...................................................................................................................... 15

3.1. Registration ........................................................................................................................... 15

3.2. Funding and Reimbursement ................................................................................................ 15

3.3. Instructions and Templates for Presentations ....................................................................... 15

3.4. Copyright Agreement, ISBN E-Book ...................................................................................... 15

4. Location and Social events ........................................................................................................ 16

4.1. Location Details ..................................................................................................................... 16

4.1.1. Faculty of Civil Engineering ............................................................................................... 16

4.1.2. About Metropol palace ...................................................................................................... 17

4.2. Social events ......................................................................................................................... 17

4.2.1. River cruise and walking tour through Belgrade center ..................................................... 18

4.2.2. Networking Dinner ............................................................................................................. 18

4.3. Post-Workshop Activities ....................................................................................................... 18

4.3.1. The visit to “Oplenac” hill and wineries of the Topola region ............................................. 19

4.3.2. Serbian Monasteries ......................................................................................................... 19

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1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. ABOUT COST

Founded in 1971, COST – European Cooperation in Science and Technology – is the first and widest European framework for the transnational coordination of nationally funded research activities. It is based on an inter-governmental agreement and comprises currently 35 European Member Countries plus one Cooperating State.

COST’s mission is to strengthen Europe’s scientific and technical research capacity by supporting cooperation and interaction between European researchers, covering from basic to applied or technological research and including research addressing issues of pre-normative nature or of particular societal importance.

As a precursor of advanced multidisciplinary research, COST plays an important role in the construction of the European Research Area (ERA), by anticipating and complementing the activities of the Framework Programmes, acting as a “bridge” spanning the scientific communities of Europe as a whole, increasing the mobility of researchers across the continent, and fostering the establishment of large Framework Programme projects in many key scientific domains.

The funds provided by COST support the coordination costs of the pan-European research networks (COST Actions), ultimately multiplying the potential of nationally funded research work. In this way, COST has leveraged during the last seven years approximately EUR 5 billion of research funding through its support and reaches out to over 30.000 researchers across Europe. COST is funded from of the EU RTD Framework Programmes budget.

During the last eight years, COST scientific organisation was based on 9 scientific domains embracing all fields of research:

Biomedicine and Molecular Biosciences (BMBS);

Chemistry and Molecular Sciences and Technologies (CMST);

Earth System Science and Environmental Management (ESSEM);

Food and Agriculture (FA);

Forests, their Products and Services (FPS);

Individuals, Societies, Cultures and Health (ISCH);

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT);

Materials, Physics and Nanosciences (MPNS);

Transport and Urban Development (TUD).

COST also supports research networks spanning over several scientific domains (Trans-Domain) with broad, interdisciplinary dimension.

The scientific organisation of COST is currently being scrutinised in order to best fit the needs of the European research communities in the new context of Horizon 2020. The key features of COST are:

Open to all fields in Science and Technology through a “bottom up" approach - the idea and subject of a COST Action comes from the European scientists themselves;

Fosters inclusiveness and equality of access;

Commits to build capacity by connecting high-quality scientific communities throughout Europe and worldwide;

Focuses strongly on providing networking opportunities for early stage researchers;

Aims at increasing the impact of research on policy makers, regulatory bodies and national decision makers as well as the private sector.

Offers a flexible structure, easy implementation and lean management of the networking activities.

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1.2. COST ACTION TU1406

1.2.1. ABSTRACT

During the implementation of asset management strategies, maintenance actions are required in order to retain assets at a desired performance level. In case of roadway bridges, specific performance indicators are established for their components. These indicators can be qualitative or quantitative-based, and they can be obtained during principal inspections, through a visual examination, a non-destructive testing or a temporary or permanent monitoring system. Then, obtained indicators are compared with performance goals, in order to evaluate if the quality control plan is accomplished. It is verified that there is a large disparity in Europe regarding the way these indicators are quantified and how such goals are specified. Therefore, this Action aims to bring together, for the first time, both the research and practicing communities in order to accelerate the establishment of a European guideline in this subject. An important aim is to define formal indicators related to sustainable performance of roadway bridges.

1.2.2. ACTION TU1406 WORKING GROUPS

In order to adequately achieve the objectives of the Action, six Working Groups (WG-s) have been established:

WG1: PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Leader: Alfred Strauss Vice-Leader: Ana Mandić-Ivanković

E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]

Working Group 1 focuses on the characterization of bridge performance indicators, which can address: (a) the safety: the load factor, the reliability index to ULS; (b) the serviceability: the condition index, the reliability index to SLS; (c) the availability, robustness; (d) the costs: the total LCC, values related to durability aspects; and (e) aspects of environmental efficiency: CO2 foot-print. A technical report on performance indicators will be developed at the end.

WG2: PERFORMANCE GOALS

Leader: Irina Stipanovic Vice-Leader: Lojze Bevc


The main objective of Working Group 2 is to identify existing performance goals (where the term goal pertains to quantifiable requirement and/or threshold value) for the indicators previously indicated in WG1. The performance goals will vary according to technical, environmental, economic and social factors. A technical report on performance goals will be developed at the end.

WG3: ESTABLISHMENT OF A QUALITY CONTROL PLAN

Leader: Rade Hajdin Vice-Leader: Matej Kušar


Based on results from WG1 and WG2, as well as on a survey of existing approaches in practice, the objective of Working Group 3 is to provide a report with detailed step-by-step explanations for the establishment of QC plans for different types of bridges. The QC plans will address the dynamics and uncertainty of the processes that may significantly compromise bridge performance.

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WG4: IMPLEMENTATION IN A CASE STUDY

Leader: Amir Kedar Vice-Leader: Sander Sein


A series of benchmarks will be developed during Working Group 4. To this end, some of the performance indicators identified in WG1 will be computed for a set of roadway bridges over EU. These indicators will be then compared with specific goals, as identified in WG2. At the end of the process, a QC plan will be applied to those bridges utilising recommendations from WG3. A data basis will be then established for benchmarking.

WG5: DRAFTING OF GUIDELINE/RECOMMENDATIONS

Leader: Vikram Pakrashi Vice-Leader: Helmut Wenzel


Working Group 5 focuses on the development of guidelines, drawing support from all the other WG-s. These guidelines for a systematic maintenance and management of highway bridge assets will acknowledge the variation of philosophical, technical and implementation methodologies throughout the EU, with the expectation that the delivered framework will be scalable and portable for standardised implementation in existing or new infrastructure networks.

WG6: DISSEMINATION

Leader: Guðmundur Guðmundsson Vice-Leader: Stavroula Pantazopoulou


The aim of this WG is to disseminate all results which were obtained in all the other WG-s. Dissemination consists in establishing liaisons with existing national and international associations, conferences, working groups and journals. Also, this group will be responsible to continuously update the website as well as all the other dissemination frameworks.

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2. WG MEETINGS AND WORKSHOP - BELGRADE

2.1. OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the WG meeting are to develop a common understanding of the aims and ideas of COST Action TU1406 within the Action network and their dissemination. Further and according to the Scientific Work Plan, the WG meeting aims at the characterization of WP-s and their interaction, in particular of WP1, bridge performance indicators, WP2, target values, and WP3, quality control plans. This meeting has several objectives, such as:

to initiate a discussion upon the systematizing of knowledge on quality control plans for bridges in order to achieve an overall state-of-art report;

to establish a wide set of quality specifications aiming to assure an expected performance level;

to collect and contribute to up-to-date knowledge on PI-s, including technical, environmental, economic and social indicators;

to develop detailed examples for practicing engineers on the assessment of PI-s as well as in the establishment of performance goals, to be integrated in the developed guidelines;

to make a scientific discussion on proposed PI-s and criteria, for clustering and organizing the PI-s with respect to the different life phases and assessment levels of road bridges and to provide final comments/suggestions by participants;

to present the results of WG1, in particular the results of survey on performance indicators;

to present the comparison of PI-s throughout Europe and suggest a common set of PI-s;

to present the results of WG2, in particular the definitions of PG-s and their relations to PI-s;

to present the results of WG3, in particular the general framework for QC plans and the corresponding questionnaire focusing on triggering criteria for maintenance actions throughout Europe;

to allow participants to present some contributions relevant for a specific WG (e.g. their experiences related to other PI research activities, etc.);

to allow participants to present themselves their scientific work in form of poster sessions.

2.2. PROGRAMME

Wednesday, March30th, 2016

Auditorium at Faculty of Civil Engineering (5 min walk from the venue, see Figure 4.)

09:00 – 09:10 Welcome word from Prof. Branko Božić, the Dean of Faculty of Civil Engineering

09:10 – 09:30 Opening of the WG meetings by Prof. Rade Hajdin & Prof. Jose Matos

Metropol Palace (the venue)

08:30 – 10:00 Registration

09:45 – 10:00 Coffee break

10:00 – 12:00 Parallel Meetings of WG-s at the conference rooms Nikola Tesla

WG1 (Nikola Tesla B):

- Applied performance indicator data base: Status report; Final open discussion, Homogenization of notations from an European perspective, Discussion of the elements for the report

WG2 (Nikola Tesla A):

- …

WG3 (Nikola Tesla C):

- …

12:00 – 13:00 Lunch



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- Applied performance indicator data base (continued): Categorization of performance indicators, Impulse presentations, Open discussion, Cross subgroups, WG1 Report


- …


- …




- Research performance indicator data base: Status report, Impulse presentations, Open discussion with nominated persons, WG1 report


- …


- …

16:45 – 17:45 Subgroups Bilateral Meetings (conference room Nikola Tesla B)

18:30 – 21:00 Social programme (see section 4.2.1)

Thursday, March31st, 2016



09:00 – 09:45 Opening session - moderated by Prof. Rade Hajdin, WG3 Leader, Faculty of Civil engineering, University of Belgrade, Serbia

09:00 – 09:05 Welcome word from Prof. Jose Matos, Chairman of the COST TU 1406, University of Minho, Portugal

09:05 – 09:15 Welcome word from Zoran Drobnjak, Director of Serbian public road enterprise „Putevi Srbije“

09:15 – 09:45 Keynote speech: by Rade Obradović, Serbian Ministry of Civil Engineering, Transportation and Infrastructure


10:00 – 10:30 Keynote speech: „Indicators for Sustainability Assessment“ by Prof. Luis Bragança, University of Minho, Portugal

10:30 – 11:00 Keynote speech: "State of Art of Bridges Maintenance Programs in South America. Experience on seismic hazards and scour" by Matias Valenzuela, Chile Ministry of Public Works

11:00 – 11:15 Presentation 1




12:00 – 12:15 Discussion - Presentation Block 1

12:15 – 13:15 Lunch




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16:30 – 17:30 Discussion on the progress and Interaction plan between WGs

19:00 – 22:00 Networking Dinner (see section 4.2.2)

Friday, April 1st, 2016



9:00 – 9:30 Keynote speech: “Data-driven Decision Making on Maintenance Activities in Serbia” by M. Veljović, “Putevi Srbije” - Serbian public road enterprise

9:30 – 10:00 Keynote speech: “COST354 – The way forward for pavement performance indicators across Europe” by Alfred Weninger-Vycudil,PMS-Consult, Austria






11:15 – 11:30 Coffee Break






12:45 – 13:45 Lunch





14:45 – 15:30 Other Action Items and Assignments

15:30 – 16:00 Guest lecture: “Introduction of COST Action TU1402 on Quantifying the Value of Structural Health Monitoring”, by Prof. Sebastian Thöns, Chair of COST TU 1402, Technical University of Denmark

16:00 – 16:15 Closing of WG meetings and workshop by Prof. Rade Hajdin, Prof. N Tanasic, Prof. J. Casas

16:15 – 17:15 MC meeting (only for MC members)

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2.3. LOCATION, DATES AND TRAVELLING

2.3.1. LOCATION AND DATE

The meeting will take place at the Metropol Palace hotel in Belgrade, Serbia. The venue is located near the Faculty of Civil Engineering and it is only 20 minutes of walk form the city centre. This five-star hotel, which was built in 1973 and renovated in 2010, has already hosted various international and domestic conferences. The hotel’s infrastructure offers a spacious and unique lobby, pleasant lounge area and other gathering spaces. Three conference rooms (Nikola Tesla A, B, C) are at disposal for the COST meeting. The meeting will be held between the 30th March and the 1stof April 2016 and the room event will be announced to all registered participants in due time.

Metropol Palace Belgrade Bulevar kralja Aleksandra 69 11000Beograd Phone: +381 11 3333 100 Fax: +381 11 3333 300 Web: http://www.metropolpalace.com/ GPS Coordinates: 44.806477 (lat) 20.473269 (long)

2.3.2. HOW TO GET TO METROPOL PALACE

The venue is located 20 kilometres from the Belgrade international airport “Nikola Tesla” (BEG). It is most conveniently reachable by a taxi ride from the airport to the venue takes approx. 25 minutes (blue path in Figure 1).The ride with the airport shuttle bus (Mini bus line A1) takes about 30 minutes to the “Slavija” square from where you may take public transport to the venue (approx. 10min). Many car rental companies operate at the airport. Highway is connecting airport with the city. In general, payment by credit cards in public transport vehicles, taxis and shuttles is not possible. Thus, it is IMPORTANT to exchange some money to the local currency before leaving the airport in order to pay for the transport. The local currency is Serbian dinar i.e. RSD (1 EUR approx. = 122 RSD).

Figure 1. Travelling from the airport to the venue Taxi transport from the airport:

On arrival, after you claim your baggage and pass the customs zone, look for a taxi booth. It is located next to the Arrivals exit. State the address and/or name of your hotel and receive a written confirmation rate for the ride. You do not pay at the booth, but directly to the driver upon arrival on your address. On the Arrivals exit, there is a taxi station where you may enter a first free vehicle. The price for the ride to the broader city centre i.e. second zone is 1800 RSD – approx. 15 EUR, and you should ask the driver for the receipt. This price is per car, not per passenger.

Public transport from the airport:

The airport shuttle (Mini bus line A1) is available on the Arrivals exit. It leaves every 20 minutes from the airport to the “Slavija” square (the last stop). The tickets are bought inside a bus and the price is 300 RSD (approx. 2.5EUR). Upon arriving at the square, look for a news stand where you may purchase

Hotel Metropol

Airport “Nikola Tesla”

Slavija square

http://www.metropolpalace.com/

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the public transport card (BUS PLUS single ticket valid for 1.5 hours – 89 RSD = 0.8EUR). Wait for trams No. 2/10/3 or 14 at the stop: “Trg Slavija” (stations are not in the same spot) and enter in the direction towards the roundabout. Exit on the very next stop (after the tram goes on top of the hill) and you will be within 100m from the Hotel (Figure 2).

Figure 2. From “Slavija” square to the venue.

Transport from the Railway/Bus station:

Upon arriving at the Railway or Bus station, call a taxi service (see General Information). The ride takes about 10 minutes and fare should be about 450 RSD (approx. 3.8 EUR). Alternatively, look for a news stand where you may purchase the public transport card (BUS PLUS single ticket valid for 1.5 hours – 89 RSD = 0.8EUR). Wait for trams No. 2, 3 or 7 (stations are not in the same spot) and enter in the direction towards the roundabout “Slavija“ square. From the railway station, if you enter trams 3 or 2/7, ride for two or three stations respectively to reach the hotel (Figure 3).

Figure 3. From Railway/Bus station to the venue

Transport within the city: The relevant public transport lines which have arrival stations (yellow colour in Figure 4.) in the vicinity of the venue:

Buses No. 26, 27 Trams No. 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 12, 14

Tickets (

Hotel Metropol

Raiway/Bus

Slavija square

14

2

10

3

14

2

3 10

Hotel Metropol

Bus Station

Slavija square

2 3

2

3

Railway Station

2

7

7

7

City center

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Figure 4.The venue’s surroundings

From the venue, the city centre is easily reachable on foot (approx. 25 min of walking) or with the public transport Bus No. 26, 27 (blue colour in Figure 4.):

Buses No. 26, 27 / enter at the station near the Faculty of Law, exit on the second station – „Terazije“. It is the station which is just after you pass the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia on the right. General information (Please read carefully): - All cash payments are realized solely in local currency RSD - dinars (1 EUR approx. = 122 RSD) - Payment by credit cards in public transport vehicles, taxis and shuttles is not possible - For using the public transportation you need to purchase a BUS PLUS Card - Taking the taxi near the railway station/bus station should be avoided due to the possibility of fraud. Instead, call a taxi service (e.g. +381 1119801 – Belgrade Taxi, +381 1119803 – Pink Taxi). Useful websites:

http://www.beograd.rs/cms/view.php?id=220; - general info about Belgrade http://www.tob.rs; http://www.traveltoserbia.net/ - general info about Serbia, sightseeing... https://www.busplus.rs/page-servisi.php - public transport information http://www.beg.aero/en/strana/8871/from-belgrade-airport - additional airport - taxi information http://www.beg.aero/en/strana/8811/autobus - additional airport shuttle information

2.4. ACCOMMODATION

The local organizers suggest using the following listed hotels for accommodation, conveniently located nearby the venue.

Metropol Palace (the venue) Bulevar kralja Aleksandra 69, 11000 Beograd Phone: +381 11 3333 100 Fax: +381 11 3333 300

Holiday Inn Express Belgrade - City

(15min of walking to the venue) Ruzveltova 23, 11000 Beograd Phone: +381 11 4144670 Fax: +381

Zira Hotel Belgrade

(17min of walking to the venue) Ruzveltova 35, 11000 Beograd Phone: +381 11 3314 800 Fax: +381 11 3314 701

Faculty of Law

Hotel Metropol

Faculty of Civil

Engineering

City center

26

6

2

10

7

12

14 12 15 min. walk to

Slavija square

27

6

7 3

26

27

5 min. walk

http://www.beograd.rs/cms/view.php?id=220

http://www.tob.rs/

http://www.traveltoserbia.net/

https://www.busplus.rs/page-servisi.php

http://www.beg.aero/en/strana/8871/from-belgrade-airport

http://www.beg.aero/en/strana/8811/autobus

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Accommodation prices (in EUR) per hotel are summarized in the following table:

HOTEL Rank

Applicable Rate for

Single Occupancy

Applicable Rate for

Double Occupancy

City Tax Rate per Person per Night (approx.)

Breakfast Rate per

Person per Night

29.03 to 2.04 29.03 to 2.04

Metropol Palace 5 85,00 95,00 1,5 Incl.

Holiday Inn Express Belgrade - City

3 55,00 60,00 1,5 Incl.

Zira Hotel Belgrade 4 70,00 80,00 1,5 Incl.

Rooms with special price will be available for a limited time for the participants through the following accommodation request forms, which are available on a first come first serve basis. That means that if there is no more standard room available, the hotel will give you a bigger room for an expensive price. The listed price is in EUR, but you will be charged in local currency (1 EUR approx. = 122 RSD). The suggested hotels, which are near the venue, are Holiday Inn Express Belgrade City and Zira Hotel Belgrade.

2.5. IMPORTANT DEADLINES

The most significant deadlines participants are kindly asked to respect are summarized in the following table.

Activity Responsible Deadline

Registration All participants 8th March 2016

Presentation submission Invited speakers 20th March 2016

2.6. COMMITTEES

An executive scientific committee as well an organizing committee were defined.

2.6.1. SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE

Name TU1406 Position E-mail

José Matos Chair [email protected]

Joan Casas Vice-Chair [email protected]

Eleni Chatzi Technical Secretariat [email protected]

Alfred Strauss WG1 Leader [email protected]

Irina Stipanovic WG2 Leader [email protected]

Rade Hajdin WG3 Leader [email protected]

Amir Kedar WG4 Leader [email protected]

Vikram Pakrashi WG5 Leader [email protected]

Guðmundur Valur Guðmundsson WG6 Leader [email protected]

Jan Bień STSM Coordinator [email protected]

Raffaele Landolfo Monitoring & Evaluation [email protected]

André Orcesi Innovation [email protected]

Kenneth Gavin Research & Development [email protected]

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/41gtzeppi5o5z3w/AAAX1y4AbTyIYw0NqErZwUSca?dl=0

http://www.hiexbelgrade.com/

http://www.zirahotels.com/

http://www.zirahotels.com/













mailto:%[email protected]


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2.6.2. ORGANIZING COMMITTEE


José Matos Chair [email protected]

Joan Casas Vice-chair [email protected]


Alfred Strauss WG1 Leader [email protected]

Irina Stipanovic WG2 Leader [email protected]


2.6.3. SECRETARIAT



Lara Leite Administrative Secretariat [email protected]

Nikola Tanasic Local Secretariat [email protected]

2.6.4. LOCAL ORGANIZERS



Snezana Masovic MC National Substitute [email protected]

Nikola Tanasic National COST representative [email protected]













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3. HOW TO PARTICIPATE

3.1. REGISTRATION

Potential attendants are kindly asked to make early registration (please refer also to section 3.2). The deadline for registration is March 8th, 2016. All the participants are kindly asked to use the

online registration form. Each participant is supposed to actively participate in the meeting through oral or poster presentation.

3.2. FUNDING AND REIMBURSEMENT

COST organization provides a certain amount of financial means for organizing such meetings and to reimburse participants. This includes for example accommodation costs, meals, transport expenses, etc. For more information about travel reimbursement request please visit the following webpage.

Since Management Committee members, WG leaders, and invited speakers are automatically included, a limited number of other participants will be reimbursed due to the limited financial funds available. Remaining seats for reimbursement will be given to highly suitable applicants and early applications will be assigned priority.

3.3. INSTRUCTIONS AND TEMPLATES FOR PRESENTATIONS

The participants are kindly asked to use the presentation templates available at http://www.tu1406.eu/belgrade in order to achieve a degree of coherency. Oral presentations should be mailed to [email protected] no later than March 20th, 2016.The duration of the presentation for an invited speaker is limited to 15 minutes.

3.4. COPYRIGHT AGREEMENT, ISBN E-BOOK

The participants are kindly asked to accept copyright and publishing rules in order to allow organizers to publish and disseminate their posters and presentations. This is determined by ticking off a specific paragraph provided in the online Registration Form. In order to disseminate some posters and presentations, an ISBN indexed E-Book will be published after the meeting.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/16n7TzSSHV1-0UYFzV5aRbF0mDEsvXgg5P7iZ0VHQzho/viewform

http://www.cost.eu/service/faq/About-e-COST/How-do-I-file-a-travel-reimbursement-request-I-attended-a-COST-Action-meeting-and-was-asked-to-encode-my-expenses-related-to-travel-and-accommodation.-How-do-I-go-about-this

http://www.tu1406.eu/members/management-committee

http://www.tu1406.eu/belgrade


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4. LOCATION AND SOCIAL EVENTS

4.1. LOCATION DETAILS

Belgrade (Beograd) is the capital of Serbia, and has a population of around 1.6 million. It is situated in South-Eastern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula, at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. Belgrade is the capital of Serbian culture, education, science and economy. Here located are the most significant works of architecture, monuments, cultural treasures and numerous archaeological sites from prehistory to today.

“Kalemegdan” is the most beautiful and the biggest park in Belgrade, in which the Belgrade Fortress stands high above the confluence. The name “Kalemegdan” applies only to the spacious plateau surrounding the Fortress which served as the Belgrade's chief military stronghold in the medieval period. The plateau was turned into a park in the eighties of the XIX century. Its name derives from the Turkish words “kale” (fort) and “megdan” (field). Besides the monuments of several famous cultural and public persons, “Kalemegdan” includes Military Museum, Art Pavilion, Zoo, sport fields and restaurants.

Figure 5. “Kalemegdan” park and Belgrade Fortress, Serbia.

The most recently built landmark in Belgrade is the “Ada“ bridge. It is a cable-stayed bridge with one pylon, which crosses over the Sava river and the tip of the “Ada Ciganlija“ island. Its construction began in 2008, and the bridge opened on the 1st of January 2012.

Figure 6. “Ada“ bridge in Belgrade, Serbia.

4.1.1. FACULTY OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

The Faculty of Civil Engineering of the University in Belgrade is the oldest and the highest educational and scientific institution for civil engineering and geodesy in Serbia. Faculty has long lasting and rich tradition and beginnings of teaching in civil engineering are stemming from 1846 when the Serbian Prince, Aleksandar Karađorđević, having issued his decree law, established „The Engineering School in Belgrade. This very year is, therefore, found on the coat of arms of Faculty together with the Latin words studere, docere, aedificare thus symbolizing activities performed by the Faculty in the field of teaching,

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science and profession. The engineers graduated from Faculty have achieved many significant successes in designing and building of all sorts of construction projects both in Serbia and abroad.

Figure 7. Faculty of Civil Engineering in Belgrade

4.1.2. ABOUT METROPOL PALACE

Originally designed as the venue for the first summit of Non-aligned Movement in 1961, the hotel today blends the era’s international architectural and interior style with contemporary luxury. Metropol Palace’s truly magnificent central setting next to the grand park “Tašmajdan“ invites you to explore Belgrade's many monuments, palaces, theatres and museums rich with indigenous and international cultural gems, all within a short stroll from the hotel. Positioned in the middle of the Bulevar kralja Aleksandra, one of the longest and most important streets in Belgrade, Metropol Palace truly is in the heart of Belgrade, well connected with all the city's transportation hubs.

Figure 8. The venue

Metropol Palace is a great choice for business travellers and event organizers with the governmental palaces, the Faculties of Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Law just a stone's throw away. It is only a short drive to all the major corporate headquarters. Our function spaces lead to terraces that open out over the park with spectacular views of St. Marc’s Church in the distance.

4.2. SOCIAL EVENTS

In addition to the scientific events in the venue, a one-hour river cruise, followed by one-hour tour through Belgrade centre will be organized at the end of the first day. In the evening of the second day, the networking dinner will take place in the pleasant atmosphere of the restaurant “Kalemegdanska terasa”

http://kalemegdanskaterasa.com/en

18

which is located at the Belgrade Fortress. The COST participants will be sent a questionnaire in due time to decide upon social events they would like to opt for. On the event days, during the registration hours at the Metropol Palace hotel, the tickets for the social events may be purchased. In the poll, please indicate your interest in these events.

4.2.1. RIVER CRUISE AND WALKING TOUR THROUGH BELGRADE CENTER

A bus will pick up the COST participants in front of the Metropol Palace hotel at 18:15h and take them to boat embarkation point in Zemun (one of Belgrade’s municipalities). From here, a one hour river boat cruise on the confluence of Danube and Sava Rivers will begin at 18:30h (Figure 9.). The cruise will include light dinner & drinks. After the cruise, the bus will pick up the participants and take them to the cathedral “Saborna crkva” from where a one hour walking tour will start. Participants will walk through the heart of the Belgrade -“Knez Mihailova” street to the square “Trg Republike” (picture on the right in Figure 9.) and further pass the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia to reach the Metropol Hotel at approx. 21:00h. The price of this social event is 20 EUR per person.

Figure 9. Boat cruise and walking tour

4.2.2. NETWORKING DINNER

The networking dinner will be held at the prestigious restaurant in Belgrade the “Kalemegdanska terasa”, which is located at the Belgrade Fortress. The bus will pick up the participants at 19:00h at the Metropol Palace hotel and take them to the location. After the dinner, the participants are taken back to the Metropol Palace hotel at approx. 22:00h. The price of this social event is 35 EUR per person.

Figure 10.The restaurant “Kalemegdanska terasa”

4.3. POST-WORKSHOP ACTIVITIES

After the conference, on Saturday 02.04, there is an opportunity for COST participants to choose between the two social activities. The first one comprises a one day visit to “Oplenac” hill, a place in Central Serbia (near town of Topola), famous for its historical heritage and wineries. The second activity involves a two-

http://doodle.com/poll/bmgaxmkzw7uam6rp

http://kalemegdanskaterasa.com/en

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day trip to visit famous Serbian medieval monasteries. The participant preferences are going to be gathered in a poll which is closed on 8th of March. Based on the poll answers, the further instructions are going to be provided. The payments for these activities will be realized by credit cards directly to a Serbian travel agency “Filip Travel“.

4.3.1. THE VISIT TO“OPLENAC” HILL AND WINERIES OF THE TOPOLA REGION

The bus ride to “Oplenac“ hill starts at 9:30h and takes one and a half hour. Upon arrival, the St. Georges church and mausoleum of the Serbian royal family “Karađorđević” are visited. Also, the guided tour includes visits to the house museums dedicated to Karađorđe, who was the leader of the First Serbian Uprising in 1804, and king Petar I. The king`s winery is visited for tasting of some of the finest wines in Serbia. Afterwards, at 15:00h, another famous winery “Aleksandrović” is visited for more premium wine tasting and a delicious traditional lunch. The return is scheduled at 18:00h and arrival to Belgrade is at 19:30h. The price of this one day trip is 10500 RSD (approx. 85 EUR) and it is based on the number of min. 15 guests. The full itinerary and payment conditions (pre-authorisation) will be provided in a few days following the poll.

Figure 11.”Oplenac” Hill visit

4.3.2. SERBIAN MONASTERIES

The bus ride from Belgrade to south-western region of Serbia – Raška starts at 8:00 am and takes three and a half hours to reach the first monastery on the tour - Studenica (Figure 12.). After sightseeing, the guests have lunch at the monastery and the trip is continued around 13:30h. The next monastery visited after one hour ride is Đurđevi Stupovi, erected in ca. 1170 as an endowment of Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja, dedicated to St. George. Then, around 16:00h the guests arrive at Sopocani monastery (Figure 12.), endowment of King Stefan Uroš I (1263). The tour continues at 17:00h to spa Vrnjačka Banja (2h drive) for dinner and sleepover at villa Aleksandar. After the breakfast, the tour is taken to nearby monastery Žiča (early 13th century), endowment of Saint Sava and King Stefan the First Crowned. Around 11:00h the tour continues for two and a half hour drive to the monastery Manasija (early 15th century). Here the guests are taken for sightseeing and lunch at a nearby ethno restaurant near the waterfall. The return is scheduled at 17:00h and arrival to Belgrade is at 19:30h. The price of this two day trip is 13900 RSD (approx. 115 EUR per guest / if single room at sleepover + 9 EUR) and it is based on the number of min. 15 guests. The full itinerary and payment conditions (pre-authorisation) will be provided in a few days following the poll.

Figure 12. Serbian Monasteries Studenica (left) and Sopocani (right)

http://doodle.com/poll/uznp25ufip8726bw

http://www.filiptravel.rs/

http://www.oplenac.rs/wpeng/

http://vinarijaaleksandrovic.rs/Home/eng

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/389

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%90ur%C4%91evi_stupovi

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/96

http://ivrnjackabanja.com/

http://aleksandar.todorhoteli.rs/?lang=en

http://orthodoxwiki.org/Zica_Monastery_(Serbia)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manasija

http://www.discoverserbia.org/en/waterfalls/veliki-buk

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