1. PREZ SEZ

2. BENEFACTOR CASE STUDY

3. GIGSA AGM

4. COUNCIL 2015/2016

5. EVENTS

H a. 10th IGS REPORTBACK

b. WEBINAR REPORT BACK

6. REPORT FROM TASK TORCES

a. MEDIA

b. MEMBERSHIP

c. GIGSA AWARDS

d. GIGSA BURSARY

8. NEWS FROM SISTER SOCIETIES

a. IGS TECHNICAL

b. IGS MOVIE

c. ISO TC 221 WG4

d. CALL FOR PAPERS

9. CALENDAR

10. GIGSA BENEFACTORS

Dear MembersI am honoured to be the President of GIGSA for the 2015/2016 term and I trust I will fulfil this challenging and exciting role.Thank you for electing me. Thinking of past presidents I have big shoes to fill. However I am glad to have a great committee,varying from consultants, suppliers contractors and a government agency, with a good balance between young andexperienced members. The committee is a wonderful mix, all focussed on growing our wonderful society. During the firstcommittee meeting held in November 2014 we focussed on setting ourselves some goals in order to focus our energies forthe next two years.The decided goals are:1. To increase individual membership by 25%;2. To increase benefactor membership by 25%;3. To host 3 events annually;4. To establish relationships with SAICE, SAFCEC and IMESA;5. To publish 4 newsletters annually;6. To participate in sister society related events (IWMSA, SAICE).

I will strive to meet and exceed such goals with your support.

GIGSA PRESIDENT'S REPORT

Biting the bullet, we have already started working on someof these ­ organizing the broadcasting of the GSI WebinarLifetime Predictions of Exposed and Non­exposedGeosynthetics” in January 2015. We hostedsimultaneously in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town,which was attended by 64 members across the threevenues.

I suggest that you read the section on events in thenewsletter and become aware of future planned events.

Furthermore, the council has recognized the urgency inaddressing some important aspects in GIGSA, and 5 taskforces have been agreed upon to address Membership,Newsletter, Website, Awards and Social Media.

I see GIGSA, not as an abstract entity, but more as asociety supporting its members and benefactors in allaspects of geosynthetics. I would like it, to become a pointof reference, for those just getting acquainted to

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geosynthetics, as well as the most experienced practitioners involved in complex projects. More on the ground, more for itsmembers!

This year GIGSA turns 21 years old and we have a heritage which all of you members and benefactors are part of.

As you can see from the first page, this newsletter is a result of a search for a Corporate Identity (CI) and it ties up with a newbranded website (being developed) and all our communication tools in order to enhance and represent our legacy in SouthAfrica and elsewhere.

In fact currently, GIGSA and South Africa have three representatives in the current IGS Council. In the bigger IGS picture;GIGSA plays a major role as we are the third largest chapter of IGS, after North America and China, with 133 members as per2013 statistics. I trust we will increase our membership over the next two years.

I would like to wish "all the best" to the newly elected IGS President, Russell Jones, for his next four years term, and to thenew IGS Council, with Peter Legg being elected for his second term as a Treasurer of IGS and Irene Nyirenda heading theYoung IGS Committee.

During the 10th ICG Berlin Conference in September, I was enthused to hear that the IGS has a new flag in Africa, the thirdIGS Chapter in Africa just opened in Morocco. They are going to host the third African Regional Conference, GeoAfrica 2017.

I would like to share with you what is my mission for GIGSA over the next two years. This mission follows the IGS mission, butis adapted for GIGSA:

"The mission of GIGSA is to provide an understanding of geosynthetics and to promote the appropriate use ofgeosynthetics technology throughout South Africa and Southern Africa."

I would like to take the opportunity to wish you and your loved ones a wonderful 2015.Looking forward to these next two years.SincerelyEdoardo

GIGSA PRESIDENT'S REPORT continued

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Frame Polypropylene’s Shutter Cloth has multiple applications

Frame Polypropylene produces a wide range of Polypropylene Tapes and woven fabrics in their plants in New Germany, Durban, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.

The company has been producing high quality woven Polypropylene Fabrics for over 40 years. Their flat woven fabrics, up to 500 cmwide, are successfully used in various civil engineering and geotechnical applications plus the mining and agriculture sectors. Circularwoven fabrics produced by Frame Polypropylene are effectively used for various packaging and mining applications.

Shutter ClothOne of Frame Polypropylene’s product lines is shutter cloth, a double cloth which has been in use for over 20 years. The fabricconsists of two panels of woven polypropylene which are joined together by means of tie cords. The tie cords are woven in the panelduring the weaving process. The distance between the panels is controlled by the length of the woven­in tie cords.

The double layer fabric, with a tenacity “or tensile strength” of 35 kN/meter in length direction (warp) and 30 kN/meter across the width(weft) has good stability and adhesion and is easy to handle and install. With the given elongation of 28% in warp and 15 % in weftdirection, the fabric easily adapts to uneven surfaces.

The advantages of this product are:• Its application offers a quick method of erosion control for stabilisation of small embankments, which are subject to severe

erosion during periods of heavy rainfall.• It can prevent the undermining of bridge foundations by erosion and protectsandy soil from further erosion.• It can be used for retaining walls, offering quick and easy installation.

It can be used for spillways, canal lining and down drains for highways andculverts to prevent serious erosion in an area of rolling hills.

Shutter Cloth ApplicationsOver the years several dams have been lined, some up to 3000m2 in area. All arestill in use, with some in service for the past 20 years.

The product can be used for Underground Haulages or Cross­Cuts that are to beused as water storage dams. By using Pozzi seal material, the projects arecompleted quickly and cost effectively. The fabric is manufactured to the requiredsize and delivered in rolls.

POLYPROPYLENE SHUTTER CLOTH APPLICATIONS

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High expansion, low density grout can be used as fill material. Furthermore energy absorbing capacity plate tests have been doneusing various quantities of fibre inclusion.

Other applications include the lining of park lakes, banks of marine complexes, golf course ponds, farm dams, and other dams andponds to reduce seepage.

Frame Polypropylene is a division of the listed Seardel Group and an ISO 9001 approved manufacturer with products conforming toseveral South African Standards.

For more information contact:

Werner PeterFrame Polypropylenetel: +27 31 710 4446fax: +27 86 683 4036cell: +27 82 494 6925www.poly­prop.co.za

POLYPROPYLENE SHUTTER CLOTH SOLUTIONS continued

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Feedback from the GIGSA AGM

The GIGSA biennial AGM was held on the 13 November 2014 at Ambrosia Hall in Midrand, Gauteng, following on from three interesting

report backs on the 10ICG Conference in Berlin. Thank you to stalwart GIGSA members Garth James, Jonathan Shamrock and Edoardo

Zannoni for an informative, well­presented feedback session.

With 21 GIGSA members present, the AGM was held at the second meeting time advertised, namely 4:30PM, as a quorum was not

present for the first. The AGM was chaired by Riva Nortjé, now GIGSA Past President, who welcomed all to the meeting.

Treasurer Paul Pratt reported back on

the GIGSA finances, and was thanked

for his time and effort.

The GIGSA is in a healthy financial

position, with conference activities

adding to this over the last two years.

As a result, no increase in membership

fees was proposed during the AGM,

and GIGSA membership fees will

remain the same for the next two

years.

Riva then reported back on GIGSA

membership, GIGSA activities during

2013 and 2014, awards given, and

other activities.

Highlights of the last two years

included the evening lectures held, a

geosynthetic laboratory visit, GIGSA

co­hosting the Landfill 2013

conference with the IWMSA as well as

the excellent Geosynthetics Barriers

Short Course presented by Dr George

Koerner of the Geosynthetic Institute.

Lifetime memberships were awardedto Alan Parrock, Garth James and Danie Brink at Landfill 2013. All three of these ‘golden oldies’ were thanked for their tremendous

contributions to the geosynthetics industry over the last 25+ years, and for their support of the GIGSA in particular.

GIGSA member Tian Mynhard was sponsored to attend the GeoAfrica 2013 conference, held in Accra, Ghana. GIGSA committee

members formed an integral part of the GeoAfrica 2013 organising committee, and were thanked for all their inputs.

Alan Parrock, Garth James and Danie Brink receive Lifetime membership Awardsfor their contributions to the geosynthetics industry over the past 25 years.

GIGSA received an award at GeoAfrica 2013 by the International Geosynthetics Society “to acknowledge the chapter as exemplary and to

recognise continuing excellent service to the geosynthetics industry”.

Fourteen geosynthetic standards were adopted by SABS, with additional standard in the approvals pipeline. There had been progress on

revisions to existing geomembranes, with input from GIGSA members.

2014 had, unfortunately, been a quieter year than 2013, but 2015 promised to be an exciting year for GIGSA.

Riva thanked all the GIGSA committee members who

had put in considerable effort over the last two years.

She bid farewell to those retiring from the GIGSA

committee, particularly Past President Anton Bain, who

had served on the committee for twelve years.

The GIGSA benefactors, affiliates and members were

thanked, without whom GIGSA would not exist.

Riva also thanked her family and Jones & Wagener for

their support during her time as President.

Riva noted that a personal highlight of her involvement

on the GIGSA committee was to meet and interact with

world geosynthetics experts such as Sam Allen,

Professor Kerry Rowe, Professor Jorge Zornberg,

Richard Thiel, Professor Jonathan Fannin and Dr

George Koerner.

The GIGSA President’s Award was then presented. Riva noted that it was a great pleasure and honour to present the Kelley Nicole Legge

floating trophy to Kelvin Legge. She noted that she could not think of anyone who has done more to promote the use of geosynthetics in

South Africa than Kelvin Legge, or more for environmental protection. Riva noted that South Africa was lucky to have a regulator who is au

fait with the latest research in the field, as well as contributing to research in his specialist field.

Two constitutional amendments were proposed prior to the AGM, and approved at the AGM.

Students are now excluded from voting in Clause 7.1.1,

and

Clause 10.2.3 was amended so that no GIGSA member may serve on the GIGSA Executive Committee for more than twelve years.

These are fairly minor changes, but will assist in the smooth running of the organisation.

Following the award of the trophy, Riva handed the meeting over to the new GIGSA President, Edoardo Zannoni. Edoardo introduced the

new GIGSA committee for November 2014 to November 2016, and outlined his plans for the next two years.

The AGM was followed by drinks and snacks.

Kelvin Legge receiving the GIGSA Presidents Award from pastPresident Riva Nortjé

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Edoardo ZannoniEdoardo joined the Technical Department of Maccaferri in 2009. He now heads

Maccaferri’s Geosynthetics business activities for Africa.

Edoardo’s interest in Geosynthetics started when he was studying in Rome for his

masters in Coastal Protection using Geotextile tubes. Since then, he has specialised

in geosynthetic for soil reinforcement and pavement solutions. This special interest in

geosynthetics is due to the fact that geosynthetics have raised the bar of civil

engineering widening the opportunity for cost effective solutions. He dreams that, in

future, Geosynthetic will become part of the Engineering Curricula worldwide such as

concrete or steel.

Edoardo enjoys spending his leisure time outdoors with his family and friends ­

preferably around a boma in winter and scuba diving in Mozambique or playing

beach volley ball in summer.

Irene NyirendaI am a passionate civil engineer who started my engineering career in the

consultancy industry before joining GSE, a geosynthetics manufacturer. I love the

outdoors, and enjoy camping and mountain bike riding. I love designing with

geosynthetics as it was a new and continuously evolving industry, with a lot of

research gaps to still be done. I am keen in bridging the gap of getting more young

engineers into the geosynthetics industry and actively involved with the young

members at IGS level. It is my wish to see more graduate engineers moving into

this field.

Riva NortjéI graduated with a BScEng (Civil) and MScEng (Civil) from WITS, and have 21 years

of consulting experience in the waste management field. I am an Associate at Jones &

Wagener, based in Rivonia, and make frequent trips to the Lowveld. Almost all the

projects I have been and am involved in include geosynthetics. Barriers, drainage,

protection, filtration, separation, erosion control and reinforcement applications all

feature in landfills and now in selected tailings projects. My particular interests are

landfill capping and lining. I would like to see more geosynthetics education included

at undergraduate level in South African universities, and more geosynthetics research

being conducted in South Africa. I think GIGSA members have a responsibility to

present geosynthetics responsibly, so that users are aware of not only the tremendous

benefits of using geosynthetics, but also of the risks.

On a personal note, I am passionate about the environment, my kids and my husband,

not necessarily in that order! I enjoy walking, baking, reading, as well as spending time

with friends, family and in nature.

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Johann Le RouxI consider myself extremely lucky to have 4 years’ experience as an engineer in

the environmental engineering field after completing my Btech degree in Civil

Engineering. Environment and sustainability represent the most positive initiatives

that have taken place since mankind has straddled the globe. The improvement of

quality of life is the final frontier but there is also a substantial legacy of misguided

development which needs to be rectified, amended and compensated for. In my

current role, I am enabling the development of innovative solutions for the

Rehabilitation and Closure division across mining, industrial and municipal

business delivery in Africa.

Paul PrattI was born in Harare, Zimbabwe and did my schooling there, matriculating from

Prince Edward High School. I completed my tertiary education at the UKZN where I

managed to obtain a BSc Geology and more importantly meet my future wife, Kirsty.

We have been married for nearly 32 years and have two sons, Kyle aged 27 and

Stuart aged 24. I am an enthusiastic sports fan and enjoy watching most sports. I am

an irregular golfer which probably explains why I play rather poorly off a 17 handicap.

As the Technical Manager at Kaytech I am responsible for product development. My

preference in geosynthetics stems from my initial exposure to the industry which was

with nonwoven geotextiles. My work does however draw me towards a wide range of

geosynthetics and applications that are innovative and generally new to the local

market

Colin de BruynI am currently the GM and Sales Director for Gundle Geosynthetics having joined

Gundle in 2000 and then moved to the geosynthetics division soon after it was

started in 2004.

Initially most of our geosynthetic work came from lining and stabilizing irrigation and

game farm dams. and this progressed to industrial and mining applications by late

2005.

Currently, I am working on a TFS in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This project

was started 4 years ago an we are aiming to finish installing over 6.6 million m2 of 1.5

HDPE on the site this year.

Personally, I love HDPE liners as they are an affordable product, offering

environmental protection solutions in a manner that many other products cannot.

In my personal life I studied electronics and am enthusiastic about mountain biking

and endurance races. I also love the outdoor, nature and wildlife.

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Claire FrickerClaire is a Civil Engineer working for the Department of Water and

Sanitation.

She has a keen interest in environmental protection and the use of

geosynthetics in this application. Her first experience involving

geosynthetics was for the water use and waste licence engineering

review panel at the Department. Through this she has learnt about

the application of geosynthetics in the use of environmental

protection barriers as well as a means for erosion protection. She

would like to see geosynthetics brought into undergraduate studies

so that students can learn about their variety of uses and the ground

breaking research done in this field.

When she is not working Claire fills her time with various hobbies

such as mountain biking, art classes, and ballet.

Florian HoertkornFlorian works for a large South African consultancy and focuses on a variety of geotechnical problems and tailings dams. He is especially interested in

reinforcing and sealing aspects involving geosynthetics. His first contact with geosynthetics dates back to his time as a PhD student of the University of

Kassel where he conducted research with flexible rod­shaped elements.

Florian is married and proud father of three boys. In his rare moments of spare time he might be discovered somewhere else in Afrika on a Bavarian

motorcycle

Charl CilliersAs a graduate of Wits, I joined the waste and tailings

department of Jones & Wagener as a civil engineer in 2006.

I was introduced to geosynthetics on my very first project

there. Geosynthetics caught my interest immediately, due to

its relatively new science and dynamic advances.

Barrier systems in waste facilities are complex systems with

each part, from intimate contact to veneer stability, being

integral to the design. It is my aim to understand each

segment thoroughly so that I can effectively carry out a full

design.

In my spare time, my favourite hobby is competing in

obstacle races such as Impi and the Warrior challenges. I

also try do crossfit.

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Walter MeyerCompleted his Mechanical Engineering Degree at the

University of Pretoria in 2011. Further to that he obtained his

Honours degree in Technology Management part time from

UP in 2013 and is currently busy with his MBA from the

Gordon’s Institute of Business Science.

He is happily married to a Physiotherapist and their only two

children at this stage are their two miniature dachshunds,

Fudge and Milo. And…he’s a proud Lions rugby supporter.

He is working as Technical Engineer at Aquatan Lining

Systems a Specialist Geosynthetics Installation company. He

believes that Geosynthetics is a cost effective engineered

solution and would like to promote the importance of the

CORRECT use thereof combined with the significant

importance of a QUALITY PRODUCT and QUALITY

INSTALLATION thereof.

Melchior BriersI am a Sales Engineer at AKS Lining Systems and have been involved in the

geosynthetics industry for the past 5 years

My first large project was the Trekkopje Uranium Mine Project outside of

Swakopmund in Namibia in 2010. It was one of the largest heap leach pad

projects in the world and presented a lot of unique design/construction

challenges, not omitting the weather conditions; sand storms and blow­outs

etc.

Since the I have been involved with the STEP Project which is a

comprehensive plan of developing Abu Dhabi to accommodate the increasing

population in the city and it will be capable of treating 800,000m³ of

wastewater. Tunnelling itself is challenging and working with CPL’s on such a

scale was quite the experience.

I enjoy boxing, cycling and hunting as extracurricular activities

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Falk HedrichI have been involved in the South African Geosynthetic industry since 1970

with a focus on Geomembrane installation.

I introduced the double­wedge welding technique to the local industry which

allows the non­destructive testing of joints and overlaps in 1984.

I have been involved in GIGSA since its founding in 1994 and have served

on its committee in numerous capacities over the years.

I am now a Honorary Life Member.

I am currently semi­retired and still offer assistance to the industry.

I am author and co­author on various papers delivered on Geosynthetics

subjects presented locally and internationally.

My hobbies include wild mushroom hunting (the edible kind).

Garth JamesKaytech Engineered Fabrics

Garth James was privileged to attend the 10th ICG in themagnificent city of Berlin. He chaired one of the technicalsessions held, titled “Challenging Environments” whichincluded technical presentations and discussion on thedurability of polymers and, as a member of the filtration

technical committee, attended the discussion on the Bulletin55 review on Geotextile Filters in Dams with Kelvin Legge ofthe Department of Water and Sanitation as the lead. Here,

various decisions were made on responsibilities for themembers to help advance the cause.

This was a most successful and well hosted conferencewhere old friends and colleagues in the geosynthetic global

village enjoyed exchange on both a technical and sociallevel.

Jonathan ShamrockJones & Wagener Engineering and

Environmental Consultants

The conference was jointly hosted by the GermanGeotechnical Society (DGGT) and the International

Geosynthetics Society (IGS) German Chapter. There waslots of interchange between the two fraternities, and more

and more overlap. Geosynthetic exhibitors got to share theirproducts with the geotechnical fraternity, and the

geotechnical exhibitors got to speak to a much wideraudience, something to consider for local conferences in

future.There was a demanding technical programme with over 350

technical papers presented over the week.

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Florian HoertkornSRK Consulting

The 10th International Conference on Geosynthetics inconjunction with the 33rd Baugrundtagung of the German

Geotechnical Society provided the perfect balance oftopics ranging from being purely focused on geotextiles tobeing purely focused on geotechnics. This was due to the

fact that two high level conferences were hosted at thesame time and at the same venue. Similarly the exhibition

section also benefited and provided significantly moreexposure to exhibitors than one would expect for a normal

conference. Finally it must be mentioned that theconference took place in Berlin, which is a really a

cosmopolitan city. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Edoardo ZannoniMaccaferri Africa

The ICG is the highest representation of the geosynthetics growth throughout theworld with participants from every nation. In Berlin, the German Geotechnical

Society took part, associating their geotechnical conference which highlights howmuch geosynthetics are closing the gap with classic topics. The 10th ICG

presented many parallel sections, so you had to pick very carefully! Of note wasthe outstanding Giroud lecture by Richard Bathurst and the Young Member

competition which had very interesting papers. On the other hand, it was a honourto meet people who carry on their shoulders the "cot" of geosynthetics such as

J.P. Giroud and C. Jones, the latter presenting a wonderful paper on the history ofgeosynthetics for soil reinforcement.

Alan ParrockARQ Consulting Engineers

The 10th International Conference on Geosynthetics was recently held in themagnificent city of Berlin. Not only are Berlin and the nearby Potsdam steeped inhistory, but the conference contained many outstanding presentations, providedopportunity to meet with old friends who are now dispersed to many parts of the

world and the face to face interacting with some of the greats of thegeosynthetic/geotechnical world.

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GIGSA hosted their first evening event for the year, a live­streamed webinar presented by Dr. Bob Koerner from theGeosynthetics Research Institute, on 14 January 2015. The event was held in Cape Town, Durban and Gauteng and a totalof 67 delegates attended. The topic of the webinar was on Service Life Predictions of Exposed and Non­ExposedGeosynthetics, which is a very relevant topic in the industry and a large number of delegates expressed their appreciationand excitement on the knowledge taken away from the evening.

We would like to thank each and every one who attended the event and will most definitely arrange similar events on a morefrequent basis. Looking forward to seeing you all again!

Lloyd Wallace

“I found that the session was very informative and the forum

very useful for getting us all around a table discussing some

of the issues around geosynthetics and seeing what the

international community is doing. Hope to see more in the

future".

Neville V du Toit

“We are actively involved in testing our

products and found the topic very

relevant".

Gerard Dirks

“Thanks again for a good “Webinar”, it

was really useful stuff, and thanks for

catering for all of us.”

Pieter Kriel

“It was most informative and I’m sure

we would like to attend similar ones

in future”.

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When handed the task of re­designing the GIGSA website and newsletter, our design team decided to ‘take a stepbackwards before going forwards’ and develop a Corporate Identity (CI) for GIGSA. Briefly speaking, the ultimate aim for a CIis for viewers to immediately identify that a communication belongs to a company even though the logo may not be present.

We wanted to show viewers across all mediums (print and electronic) something completely different and unexpected – adeparture from the typical Geosynthetic­orientated communication. We anticipated that this departure would ‘grab’ theviewer’s attention and encourage him/her to read deeper into the communication – rather than moving away from it withdisinterest.

We understood that GIGSA’s position in the marketplace was:• Positioned in Africa• Positioned in Southern Africa• That Gigsa and its committee wanted to be perceived by members to be active, a ‘force to be reckoned with’, strong,

independent and innovative• We wanted the viewer to understand the above instantly and to relate this to them pictorially• From a product (geosynthetic) point of view, we perceive that geosynthetics can relate to dams, water, land and the

environment• We also understood that the result of any work done by a geosynthetic market player would, ultimately, play a part in

saving the environment ­ bringing socio­economic relief to the population.

The CI would make use of images, unified fonts and particular hews of colours which, collectively, would convey GIGSA asbeing, clear, definite, deliberate, innovative, interesting – a calm, unifying giant in the Geosynthetics industry.

In terms of images, we decided to incorporate African animals and plants in the design of both the website and the newsletter.African animals and African plants are unique to Africa. They have to survive ­ often amongst trying circumstances. Wedecided to incorporate an African Rhino into the website design as the rhino is a survivor in Africa – even more so now – justas companies have to survive in competitive marketplaces. The use of South Africa’s national flower, the Protea, was chosenfor the newsletter. The rhino and the protea would immediately ‘stamp’ any communication from GIGSA to Africa.

In terms of Font, Arial was chosen as it is clear, concise and universally recognised across browsers and media in general.The colours of orange and blue were chosen to represent Africa’s soil and water respectively. Grey was chosen to bringcalmness to communications.

Two GIGSA task forces have been chosen to implement GIGSA’s CI. On the one hand, there is the website and newsletterand, on the other a Social Media Task Force. Both of these Task Forces have the challenge of communicating GIGSA’sposition in the Geosynthetic marketplace.

Find results of these efforts:Website: www.gigsa.org | Newsletter: Geo News | Facebook: www.facebook.com | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com

a. Membership statistics

The GIGSA membership categories still consist of the following; student members, individual members, affiliate membersand benefactors. Over the last 4 years (2010 – 2014 period), GIGSA had a total of just under 300 members, with minorfluctuations between the years of people that left the industry or join other companies but are not keen to stay on as GIGSAmembers. At the end of 2014, there was a need for GIGSA to review the membership numbers as per categories above, andit was found that approximately 67 of the total members were student members (mostly 4th year or postgraduate students)and this number has been carried over for 4 years with little traces or effort on where the students are; and whether there arestill involved in the Geosynthetics industry.

For this reason the membership reporting shall include only the individual members, affiliate members and benefactors, untilsuch a time that GIGSA finds an effective method of tracking and managing the students’ database. This does not imply thatGIGSA will not accept or register student members, but merely their database will be managed differently until such a timewhere the students can transfer to become individual members.

SUMMARY OF GIGSA MEMBERSHIP IN FEBRUARY 2015Individual Memberships covered by Affiliate status 2Individual Memberships covered by Benefactor status 50Individual Members 144Honorary Life Members 11

TOTAL MEMBERSHIP PER CATEGORIESTotal membership (persons) 207Affiliate Members 2Benefactors 25

The current serving GIGSA committee would like to achieve a 25% increase in membership for both individual andbenefactor categories by the end of 2016. This implies having 6 more benefactor members over and above the existingnumbers to join GIGSA and 36 more individual members respectively.

b. New GIGSA member numbering system

As a privilege of being a GIGSA member, you automatically become an IGS member. Effective of 1st January 2015, GIGSAhas decided to adopt a new membership numbering system inline with the IGS member allocation numbering system.Therefore for all new members that join GIGSA effective 1st of January 2015, your GIGSA membership number willcorrespond to the IGS number. All other previous members that joined prior to 2015, your GIGSA membership number andIGS number are still valid and remain unchanged.

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c. IGS website log in details for GIGSA members

The IGS have revamped their website and the new site includes a number of features that are only accessible to you­­as anIGS Member­­when you log in. The new site has in addition an enhanced content, including a photo gallery, news and evena translation function (for non­technical text). The newest addition to the website is the Proceedings Library, however this is awork in progress, with all papers from IGS conferences being added in as conferences take place.

IGS members have further exclusive access to items such as: the membership directory, IGS Journals, training lectures, andmuch more. When logged in, you may enjoy directaccess to the IGS Journal Geosynthetics International. IGS Members willno longer need to log­in on the Journal’s web page if they access the journal via IGS site.

You may also gain access to Geotextiles & Geomembranes via the IGS web site; however, you still need the required log­ininformation from the publisher (directions attached). IGS is currently working with the publisher to provide automatic log­in toG&G in the future. Please allow one week for the publisher to process your society access.With the new IGS web site comes a new, more secure and more effective log­in system. In order to establish your usernameand password please follow these directions:

1. Go to www.geosyntheticssociety.org2. Near the top/left side of the screen there is a “USER NAME” field, please type in your IGS Member number: XXXX3. Click on the red “Forgot Password” button in the same area.4. You will immediately receive an encrypted password via email to your email address (as listed in the IGS database).5. Using your IGS MEMBER NUMBER as your USER NAME (XXXX) and the PASSWORD provided via email (carefully

copy and paste the computer generated password) and login to the site.6. You may create a personal password at any time after you have logged in by clicking on the “Change Password”

immediately below the log­in panel.7. Contact details information update and all other enquiries

Should you not know what your log in details (IGS Number) or require any further assistance with the website or have anyquestions regarding your membership or you would like to update your contact details, kindly send an email tosecretary@gigsa.org

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The Geosynthetic Interest Group of South Africa (GIGSA)Awards aim to recognize members’ achievements indeveloping, manufacturing, application and knowledge ofgeosynthetics through various award categories. Dependingon the award, these are presented annually, biennually orevery four years.The following award categories have evolved since theGIGSA’s inception in 1994:

• President’s Award

This award acknowledges special dedication of a GIGSAmember to the geosynthetics industry, and can be awardedby the GIGSA President at the end of every term (two years)at his/her discretion. The next opportunity to present thePresident’s award is during the AGM in November 2016.

• Honorary Award

The award offers recognition to GIGSA members based ontheir dedication in developing the GIGSA vision in theirenvironment. The award is usually presented at the AGM.GIGSA members can nominate candidates for this award,with the awards decided by the GIGSA awards committee.

• Development and Technology Award

Recognition is given to pioneering work by GIGSA membersinvolving geosynthetics that are wholly South African. Thisaward can, for instance, be granted for work in the field ofresearch, or for innovative applications of geosynthetics. Theaward is presented every two years, and applications for thisaward are requested by 30th June 2015.

• Construction Award

Projects carried out by GIGSA members qualify for anaward when geosynthetics represent a key aspect in thedesign and construction of the project. The awarded ispresented every two years, with the next award scheduledfor 2016.

• Student and Young Members’ Award

GIGSA has previously sponsored five student members toattend the five IGS regional EuroGeo conferences held todate. In 2013, an award was made for a young member(under 35) to attend the second IGS regional GeoAfricaconference, in Accra, Ghana.The next young members’ award will be for EuroGeo 6, tobe held in Istanbul, Turkey in September 2016.Only GIGSA Young Members under the age of 35 areeligible for this award. Young members are required tohave a paper accepted for presentation by the conference.The award for the best young members’ paper submittedis decided by the GIGSA awards committee.

• Photo Competition

An ad­hoc committee is formed by GIGSA committeemembers to award the best 10 photos reflecting the use ofgeosynthetics. These will be showcased and recognizedon the GIGSA website and in newsletters.Awardees must be paid up GIGSA members. Nominationsshall be submitted to the GIGSA committee(president@gigsa.co.za) not later than 30th June eachyear, or as otherwise specified in requests fornominations.Please visit the GIGSA website (www.gigsa.org) for moreinformation as well as to find the detailed list of therecipients of previous awards.

The GIGSA Awards

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Post­graduate and doctorate research projects conducted in an academic environment in the field of geosynthetics (or keyaspect thereof) may be eligible for funding. The amount of funding granted may vary and will be decided upon case tocase by the GIGSA Committee.

The student applying shall be a paid up GIGSA Member and should intend to contribute to the South African geosyntheticsindustry. Only research projects carried out by GIGSA members under the supervision of South African Universities qualifyfor the GIGSA Bursary. Applications shall be submitted to GIGSA six months prior to funding being required and must besupported by motivational letter signed by the University supervisor under which such studies will be undertaken.

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NEWS FROM IGS AND SISTER SOCIETIES

MEETING FOR THE FORMATION OF A NEW TECHNICAL COMMITTEEOREGON CONVENTION CENTER,PORTLAND

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2015 IN ROOM E148 11.30 am ­ 12.30 pm

Dear IGS Member,During the Council meetings held in conjunction with the 10ICG Conference in Berlin,in September 2014, the Council Members Pietro Rimoldi and Sam Allen proposed theformation of a new Technical Committee on "Hydraulic Applications: Drainage, ErosionControl, Coastal Protection". The new Technical Committee would be indicated withthe acronym: TC­H.TC­H will be dedicated to the scientific and engineering development of geosyntheticssystems and associated technologies. It will provide a forum for active participation bythe members of IGS and will promote the dissemination of knowledge, technology,research findings, design and construction methodologies related to "HydraulicApplications of Geosynthetics: Drainage, Erosion Control and Coastal Protection" ingeotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering.Activities may include but are not limited to: workshops with affiliated societies, whitepapers, technical session planning and organization, compiling summaries ofregulations in various countries, recommendations for geosynthetic utilization inspecific applications (e.g., Drainage, Erosion Control and Coastal Protection),attracting young members to the committee, project and research monitoring, andconference and publication participation.The initial TC­H leadership would be:* Chair ­ Pietro Rimoldi (Italy)* Co­chairs ­ Sam Allen (USA) and Chiwan Wayne Hsieh (Taiwan)* Secretary ­ Ian Fraser (U.K.)The formation of the new committee TC­H will be presented to all interested partiesduring an open meeting that will be held during Geosynthetics 2015 Conference at the

Oregon Convention Centre in Portland, Oregon, USA, on February 16th 2015 at 11.30­ 12.30 in room E148, during the first half of the two­hour lunch recess.All IGS Members are invited to join the meeting and contribute with ideas andproposals.Moreover all IGS Members wishing to join TC­H can be registered during the meeting.

Contributions from all Countries are welcome and may be submitted by email to theIGS Secretary (Elizabeth@Geosynthetica.net) at any time.If you anticipate joining this meeting please let us know by registering here.Registration is not required it is helpful to establish the approximate size of themeeting. If you have questions about the technical content please do not hesitate towrite to Pietro Rimoldi pietro.rimoldi@gmail.com. If you have questions about logisticsplease contact Elizabeth Peggs elizabeth@geosynthetica.net.

Regards,Pietro Rimoldi

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Geosynthetics for Sustainable Development, the new video produced by the International Geosynthetics SocietyEducation Committee, asks the question: "What defines quality of life?"

It's a question that's being answered by a call for solutions that are sustainable and protect the earth and its limitedresources. More and more, sustainable infrastructuresolutions are being addressed with high­quality, engineeredgeosynthetic materials. As the increasing demand forimproved living conditions is driven by the growing worldpopulation, consumption is outpacing supply of virtually allresources. The video seeks to show how geosynthetics are asolution to building sustainable civil, geotechnical andenvironmental infrastructure projects.

Read the full story here.

We invite you to share the video so that IGS can spread theword. Here's a link to Geosynthetics for SustainableDevelopment.

http://youtu.be/LIH­7djSPO0

'Geotextiles and geotextile­related products ­ Determination of the characteristicopening size'

A very important parameter in standard ISO 12956:2010 is the granular material used for testing.The required zone of the cumulative percentage of size distribution of the granular material used

given in figure 2 is not consistent with the one given in annex B, figure B.1 (Particle sizedistribution curve) especially for the lower particle size part. For low opening size geotextiles this

difference has a big impact on the result. The standard needs to be clarified in this matter.There is a need for clarification of the procedure (clause 7) as far as the spreading of the

granular material and its wetting.In the light of the above ISO/TC 221 agrees to create a new work item to revise ISO 12956:2010.

The default timeframe 36 months will be appropriate and the work will be carried out in WG4.

NEWS FROM IGS AND SISTER SOCIETIES continued

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NEWS FROM IGS AND SISTER SOCIETIES continued

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DisclaimerThe Geosynthetics Interest Group of South Africa and the South African Institute of Civil Engineering accept no responsibility for any statements made or opinionsexpressed in this publication. Consequently nobody connected with the publication of the magazine, in particular the proprietors, the publishers and the editors, will

be liable for any loss or damage sustained by any reader as a result of his or her action upon any statement or opinion published in this newsletter

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GIGSA'S BENEFACTORS