Preface

Under the ever-increasing complexity that continues to characterize the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry, professionals of all specialties are to be expected to act responsibly as they assume an array of varying roles pertaining to the planning, design, and delivery of today's construction projects.  "Acting responsibly" involves a lot more than clearly assessing the needs, carefully identifying the problems, and skillfully providing design and construction-related services.  It rather entails embracing a more conscious approach that steadily aims at the adoption of innovative solutions throughout the projects' implementation stages.  Such intended innovations shall be meant to serve not only the interests and constraints of concerned development entities and bodies, as it may typically be the case, but also to better serve contemporary development criteria including those concerned with the social acceptability of planned projects as well as their short- and long-term environmental friendliness and economic viability.

It is with the above in mind that the theme of the EURO-MED-SEC-2 conference was chosen to be: "The Responsible Design and Delivery of the Constructed Project".  In this regard, the conference organizers are grateful for the overwhelming interest and response by the many prominent researchers and industry practitioners from all around the world.  All their valuable contributions have made of these proceedings a credible reference that distinctively promotes the advancement of knowledge in a number of engineering (architectural, civil infrastructure, structural, materials, geotechnical, environmental, etc.) and construction fields.  This set of proceedings has 62 manuscripts from 16 countries.

Nothing is more germane than for the International Structural Engineering and Construction (ISEC) Society to have strategically opted to hold the EURO-MED-SEC-2 conference in Beirut (Lebanon), a city that has been experiencing a massive program of rebirth, following one of the most fiercely destructive wars that had spanned over close to two decades.  To this end, the American University of Beirut, the "leading" university in the Middle East region is honored to be hosting the activities of this conference, and the members of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the Maroun Seeman Faculty of Engineering and Architecture are privileged to have partnered with the ISEC Society, and the renowned members of its administration and its competent support staff, for the successful organization and delivery of this conference.

Mohamed-Asem Abdul-Malak, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
Hiam Khoury, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
Amarjit Singh, University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA
Siamak Yazdani, Heyer Engineering, USA
Editors