Italy’s Sapir Engineering and Under Water Anchoring have won the Deep Foundations Institute’s prestigious Ben C. Gerwick Award for Innovation in the Design and Construction of Marine Foundations. The 2020 award recognizes the companies’ Underwater Tie-back Anchoring System.

In a release, the DFI says the system is designed for marine wharf reinforcement and construction. It uses robotics and remote control software to install tie rods/anchors under water.

Representatives from the companies will receive the award and deliver a lecture on the technology May 13, 2021, during the International Foundations Congress and Equipment Exposition (IFCEE 2021) in Dallas. The four-day conference is hosted by DFI, ADSC (The International Association of Foundation Drilling), the ASCE Geo-Institute, and the PDCA (Pile Driving Contractors Association).

The Ben C. Gerwick Award for Innovation in the Design and Construction of Marine Foundations was established in 2008 to recognize the innovative spirit of Ben C. Gerwick, as well as and his contribution to the marine foundation industry over a 62-year career as a contractor, educator and construction engineer. The award encourages and recognizes innovation in the marine foundation industry. Recipients are selected by the DFI Marine Foundations Committee.

The DFI is an international association of contractors, engineers, academics and suppliers in the deep foundations industry with more than 3,500 members worldwide. For more information about the Deep Foundations Institute, visit www.dfi.org.