We present a slightly abridged and adapted translation of the report “Experiences and practices from application of rockfall remedial works at MKD national road network” (Jovanovski et al., 2023), which was made by Macedonian engineering surveyors at the National transport infrastructure conference with international participation in October 2023 in Nessebar (Bulgaria). This report was also published as an article in the journal “Materials Science and Engineering” by the publishing company of the British scientific society “Institute of Physics” (IOP) that is now virtually international. It is an open access article under the CC BY 3.0 license that allows it to be distributed, translated, adapted, and supplemented, provided that the types of changes are noted and the original source is referred to. In our case, the full reference to the original paper (Jovanovski et al., 2023) for the presented translation is given in the end. Rockfalls, landslides and floods continue to have a growing share in the overall damages and losses, influencing considerably the national budget. Recent experiences and practices related to application of stabilization measures and remediation of rockfall zones along MKD national road network are presented in the article. Analyses are based on case histories where the prognosis of geotechnical conditions is a key element in definition of remedial measures for rock slopes. Some issues related with the Consequence Classes, as suggested in Eurocode 7, and the concepts of the Acceptable Level of Risk are presented. Proposals in definition of the Acceptable Level of Risk, through combining the Probability of Failure, Reliability Index and Consequence Classes, are given in the article. These findings can help in development and/or improvement of rockfall, landslide and flood risk management strategies.

The mechanical behavior of unfrozen soils and frozen ones under dynamic loads differs significantly. For example, according to the results of resonant column tests, the dynamic shear modulus of unfrozen soils can exceed that of the frozen ones by tens of times, the absorption coefficient can exceed by several times, the resonant frequency can reach hundreds of hertz, etc. This does not allow the use of conventional resonant columns for testing frozen soils. In this case, either the error of the results will be very high, or it will not be possible to complete the experiment as a whole. Therefore, for dynamic tests of frozen soils, it is necessary to develop specialized equipment. The article presents foreign experience in modifying a resonant column for testing frozen soils from the 1970–1980s to the present. Taking into account foreign developments and on the basis of the generalization indicators of the dynamic properties of frozen soils, recommendations are given for developing a domestic version of a resonant column.

The introduction of building information modeling (BIM) causes different reactions. There are supporters, opponents, and also entrepreneurs who would not like to spend extra money unnecessarily. “All options should be taken into account, because technologies do not work without people,” Mark Pak, the owner of the “Irisoft” group of companies, the co-owner of the “Digital Engineering Center” company, candidate of technical sciences from St. Petersburg, says. In the presented interview for the “Geolnfo” journal, he told about when the use of BIM is justified and when it is possible to do without it at the stages of design, construction and operation of a construction object. BIM are technologies that are advertised and implemented with the help of administrative resources in Russia. You can live without them. But they open a convenient way to pass the state expertise of construction documentation and to participate in complex, expensive and interesting projects. BIM-technologies can pay off in the long term, but in the beginning they will require large investments of money and time that will be needed to adapt personnel. The companies, which have pass this way, no longer want to work without BIM, but there are still few of them in the Russian market.

Some time ago, news spread on the Internet about a huge hole in an agricultural plot in the Rostov Region. It was called differently: a farmer’s hell, a crater, a hole in the underworld, a bottom that was broken. Karst was often considered as the reason of this. However, karst is extremely rare in the Rostov Region. Most likely, the cause was a former coal mine. Scientists, who were interviewed by the editors of the “Geolnfo” journal, said that on the basis of the available amateur video, one can only make hypotheses, but for serious conclusions it is necessary to carry out special research.

Engineering survey activities are seldom carried out without business trips. Moreover, their number is even multiplying due to increasing construction volumes all over the country and due to growing competition. It’s common to hear in response to a question about the geography of a company: “We work in all the regions.” Business trips can be organized by the head of an enterprise, a special manager, travelers themselves, as well as an engaged business travel agency. This article tells about how employees realize their business trips, what awaits them there, and what trends are observed in the business travel market.

In the framework of the Year of a Customer in the Construction Industry, at the business center “World Trade Center” in Moscow on May 23, 2024, the Fifth Annual Industry Forum “Construction Management in Russia” will be held with the support of the Ministry of Construction of Russia. It will be conducted for the first time in the format of an all-Russian meeting “Development of the Institute of a Technical Customer”. The upcoming forum will open a new round of the discussion between customers, financial institutions, insurance companies, designers, builders, government representatives, and engineering companies about what technical customers should be in order to effectively and successfully cope with the implementation of construction plans in the state and commercial sectors. The organizer of the event is National Association of Technical Customers and Other Organizations in the Field of Engineering and Construction Management” (NOTECH association). It is a non-profit organization created in 2023 by leading Russian engineering companies with the support of the Russian Ministry of Construction. It represents the interests of Russian technical customers and other participants in investment-construction projects (ICP) that plan, organize, manage and monitor construction, as well as provide other engineering services during ICP processes.

A new format of regular business events for the construction industry “Co Action. Contractor’s Day” has been launched in St. Petersburg. You can participate in person or remotely. The meetings are aimed at developing professional construction management, promoting technical customer’s institution, advanced practices, and exchanging experience. Sergei Petrov, the president and founder of the International Construction Engineering Consortium, a certified forensic expert in construction in Russia, told the editorial staff of the “Geolnfo” journal about the plans of the organizers, how the participants can get the most out of these meetings, and what will change at a construction site with the appearance of a technical customer.

According to the data of the Ministry of Culture, in Russia there are about 200 thousand cultural heritage monuments of federal, regional and local significance. Their condition sometimes leaves much to be desired, and the state would like to deal with them not only at the expense of the budget. Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke about the need to accelerate the restoration of historical monuments at the end of 2023 at one of the meetings with members of the Government of the Russian Federation. The condition of historical buildings and structures is also discussed as part of the now popular topic of master plans. It is expected that the appearance of documents on the integrated development of territories will put a barrier to infill development of cities and will attract private investment in the repair of historical sites. Accordingly, the number of corresponding orders from contractors can increase. The editorial staff of the “Geolnfo” journal asked experts about the features of surveying cultural heritage sites. The experts told us why not everyone undertakes such sort of work, why it is necessary not just to perform a technical task, but to feel involved in History.

Geotechnician is a profession that is in demand, not widespread, interesting, responsible, highly paid, and requiring a lot of knowledge. According to practitioners working in this field, the most employment options for geotechnicians are in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Krasnodar. This profession is new, although geotechnical activities have always been carried out. Geologists, designers, and builders were engaged in it when it was necessary to predict the behavior of soils and foundations. The editorial staff of the “Geolnfo” journal asked some experts about how they became geotechnicians, what kind of intellectual and financial investments this requires, and what they can recommend to people looking for new career horizons.

In Moscow, with the support of the Ministry of Construction of Russia, within the framework of the Fifth Annual Industry Forum “Construction Management in Russia”, the All-Russian meeting “Development of the Institute of Technical Customer” was held. It was a significant event for discussing the role of a technical customer in the context of the ambitious goals of construction development in Russia until 2030. The National Association of Technical Customers and Other Organizations in the Field of Engineering and Construction Management (NOTECH association), which organized the forum, focused the attention of the participants on the need to form a full-fledged construction engineering market in Russia, that will be one of the key steps towards the technological sovereignty of the country.