Master of science-level of the Bologna process in Ingegneria Civile - Torino Master of science-level of the Bologna process in Civil Engineering - Torino Master of science-level of the Bologna process in Ingegneria Per L'Ambiente E Il Territorio - Torino
Critical infrastructures - the assets, networks, and facilities essential to sustaining vital societal and economic functions - are increasingly challenged by factors such as climate change, extreme weather, geo-hazards, aging, and intensified use. These pressures intersect with the need for structural adaptation to achieve long-term societal goals, including the energy transition.
This course explores these challenges by presenting design strategies for climate-resilient infrastructures. It emphasizes geotechnical engineering applications that play a key role in addressing global issues such as climate change, urban sustainability and resilience, resource and energy management, groundwater protection, and the safe operation of critical infrastructure systems.
Fundamental principles of soil and rock mechanics are linked to contaminant and heat transport in the subsurface, supporting the design, construction, and maintenance of energy geostructures (e.g., energy piles, walls, and tunnels) and environmental geotechnics (e.g., containment of contaminated ground, and remediation of polluted sites).
The course also addresses topics related to geological energy production and storage, as well as the complex interactions between soils, rock masses, and both natural and engineered environments, including excavation stability, underground constructions, infrastructure resilience.
Critical infrastructures namely the assets, networks, and facilities (e.g. dams, levees, tunnels, retaining walls, and transport foundations) whose failure or degradation may cause catastrophic disruptions to public safety, the economy, or crucial societal services, are increasingly challenged by climate change, extreme weather, geo-hazards, aging, and intensified use. These pressures intersect with the need for structural adaptation to achieve long-term societal goals, including the energy transition.
This course explores these challenges by presenting design strategies for climate-resilient and sustainable infrastructures with particular emphasis on complex geotechnical engineering problems and real-world case studies. The course focuses on the interaction between natural hazards and infrastructure systems, including landslide-infrastructure interaction problems, excavation-induced effects, underground constructions, and the resilience of buried and earth-supported structures under extreme conditions. Geotechnical engineering applications are presented in the broader context of global challenges such as climate change, urban sustainability and resilience, resource and energy management, groundwater protection, and the safe operation of critical infrastructure systems.
Fundamental principles of soil and rock mechanics are linked to contaminant and heat transport in the subsurface, supporting the design, construction, and maintenance of energy geostructures (e.g., energy piles, walls, and tunnels), geological energy production and storage systems, and environmental geotechnical applications such as contaminated ground containment and site remediation.
At the end of the classes, students will be able to:
Develop an enhanced understanding of soil and rock behaviour, including thermo-hydro-mechanical performance and physico-chemical interaction at the micro-scale.
Apply advanced geotechnical knowledge to face the global challenges.
Analyze the main challenges affecting critical infrastructures under climate change, extreme events, and geo-environmental pressures.
Apply principles of soil and rock mechanics to the design and assessment of sustainable and climate-resilient geotechnical systems.
Design energy geostructures and geothermal energy use.
Develop engineering solutions for waste containment, contaminated ground and site remediation.
Stimulate criticisms and engineering judgment.
At the end of the classes, students will be able to:
Develop an enhanced understanding of soil and rock behaviour, including thermo-hydro-mechanical performance and physico-chemical interaction at the micro-scale.
Apply advanced geotechnical knowledge to face the global challenges.
Analyze the main challenges affecting critical infrastructures under climate change, extreme events, and geo-environmental pressures.
Apply principles of soil and rock mechanics to the design and assessment of sustainable and climate-resilient geotechnical systems.
Design energy geostructures and geothermal energy use.
Develop engineering solutions for waste containment, contaminated ground and site remediation.
Stimulate criticisms and engineering judgment.
Students are required to have basic knowledge on:
Structural mechanics and hydraulics.
Basic knowledge on geotechnical engineering, characterization procedures for soils and rocks, design methods.
Students are required to have basic knowledge on:
Structural mechanics and hydraulics.
Basic knowledge on geotechnical engineering, characterization procedures for soils and rocks, design methods.
Computational methods.
Lectures will cover topics within:
Climate change impacts and renewable energies (7,5 h)
Thermo-hydro-mechanical behaviour of soils and rocks (3 h)
Energy geostructures and geosystems (12 h)
Contaminated sites and containment systems (9 h)
Design of critical infrastructures (10,5 h)
Lectures will cover topics within:
Climate change impacts and renewable energies (7,5 h)
Thermo-hydro-mechanical behaviour of soils and rocks (3 h)
Energy geostructures and geosystems (12 h)
Contaminated sites and containment systems (9 h)
Design of critical infrastructures (10,5 h)
The GeDeCI class will include:
42 hours of lectures in the classroom to develop knowledge on the geotechnical design of critical infrastructures, energy geostructures and environmental systems.
18 hours of exercise classes in the computer room (LAIB) with the use of dedicated software. During exercise classes, students will be asked to work on real projects and take advantage of the knowledge gained during lectures to solve the engineering problem proposed. Students will be asked to prepare a written report out of their work. This is intended to be done in small groups of few students.
The GeDeCI class will include:
42 hours of lectures in the classroom to develop knowledge on the geotechnical design of critical infrastructures, energy geostructures and environmental systems.
18 hours of exercise classes in the computer room (LAIB) with the use of dedicated software. During exercise classes, students will be asked to work on real projects and take advantage of the knowledge gained during lectures to solve the engineering problem proposed. Students will be asked to prepare a written report out of their work. This is intended to be done in small groups of few students.
Specific reading material, together with the slides used, will be made available to students during lectures.
Additional useful reading material (all available at the Politecnico di Torino libraries) are:
Mitchell, J.K., and Soga, K., (2005). Fundamentals of Soil Behavior, 3rd edn., Wiley.
Reddi, L., and Inyang, H.I., (2000). Geoenvironmental Engineering, Taylor and Francis
Rowe, R.K. (2012). Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering Handbook (Volume 1 and 2), Springer
Specific reading material, together with the slides used, will be made available to students during lectures.
Additional useful reading material (all available at the Politecnico di Torino libraries) are:
Elgip (2026). Recommendations for the Conceptualisation, Design and Construction of Energy Geostructures, Springer.
Laloui, L., Di Donna, A. (2013). Energy Geostructures: Innovation in Underground Engineering, Wiley.
Mitchell, J.K., and Soga, K., (2005). Fundamentals of Soil Behavior, 3rd edn., Wiley.
Reddi, L., and Inyang, H.I., (2000). Geoenvironmental Engineering, Taylor and Francis
Rowe, R.K. (2012). Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering Handbook (Volume 1 and 2), Springer
Slides;
Lecture slides;
Modalita di esame: Prova orale obbligatoria; Elaborato grafico prodotto in gruppo;
Exam: Compulsory oral exam; Group graphic design project;
...
The scope of the exam is to ascertain that the student has assimilated all topics presented and is able to apply the theories and methods for the solution of practical geotechnical engineering problems in the field of energy and environmental geotechnics and critical infrastructures. Votes are on a basis of thirty and the exam is considered sufficient when the vote is at least 18/30. The exam consists of an oral examination and the writing up of a technical report. The technical report will be completed during the exercise classes and needs to be submitted, at the latest, one week in advance to the oral exam. The oral exam will consist of a discussion over the topics presented during lectures and exercise classes. The maximum vote will be 30/30. The final mark will be obtained by combining the votes of the technical report (20%), the oral exam (80%).
Gli studenti e le studentesse con disabilita o con Disturbi Specifici di Apprendimento (DSA), oltre alla segnalazione tramite procedura informatizzata, sono invitati a comunicare anche direttamente al/la docente titolare dell'insegnamento, con un preavviso non inferiore ad una settimana dall'avvio della sessione d'esame, gli strumenti compensativi concordati con l'Unita Special Needs, al fine di permettere al/la docente la declinazione piu idonea in riferimento alla specifica tipologia di esame.
Exam: Compulsory oral exam; Group graphic design project;
The scope of the exam is to ascertain that the student has assimilated all topics presented and is able to apply the theories and methods for the solution of practical geotechnical engineering problems in the field of energy and environmental geotechnics and critical infrastructures. Votes are on a basis of thirty and the exam is considered sufficient when the vote is at least 18/30. The exam consists of an oral examination and the writing up of a technical report. The technical report will be completed during the exercise classes and needs to be submitted, at the latest, one week in advance to the oral exam. The oral exam will consist of a discussion over the topics presented during lectures and exercise classes. The maximum vote will be 30/30. The final mark will be obtained by combining the votes of the technical report (20%), the oral exam (80%).
In addition to the message sent by the online system, students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) are invited to directly inform the professor in charge of the course about the special arrangements for the exam that have been agreed with the Special Needs Unit. The professor has to be informed at least one week before the beginning of the examination session in order to provide students with the most suitable arrangements for each specific type of exam.