2026 BGA Case Histories Award Winner announced
The British Geotechnical Association (BGA) is pleased to announce that the 2026 BGA Case Histories Award has been awarded to authors Kevin Briggs, Yuderka Trinidad González, Nick Sartain, Gerrit J. Meijer, William Powrie and Simon Butler for their paper “In situ shear modulus reduction with strain in stiff fissured clays and weathered mudstones” published in Canadian Geotechnical Journal in 2025.
The paper can be accessed HERE.
The judges agreed that the winning paper demonstrates a comprehensive comparison between in situ measurements and widely used empirical correlations. The findings demonstrate that, while general trends are captured, these correlations may not reliably represent stiffness behaviour in weathered materials, particularly in terms of reference strain; this has important implications for the use of such models in practice. Overall, this is a highly impactful paper with clear relevance to UK ground conditions, offering meaningful advancement in understanding.
The BGA Case Histories Award is to encourage and recognise the importance of exchange of exemplary geotechnical knowledge and experience of the performance of constructed works. The award is presented for an outstanding contribution to the knowledge and experience of the United Kingdom geotechnical engineering profession through the publication of a well-considered and researched case history or histories, or the publication of recommended practices or design methodologies based on the evaluation of case histories that provide beneficial insights into the geotechnical aspects of constructed works.