The topic "are we over designing" is not an easy subject to discuss. Nevertheless, the accumulated cost and impact to the community of overdesign is real. The Corporate Associates Presidential Group (CAPG) of the ISSMGE, (International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering), in association with other interested parties, has launched two key initiatives on this subject in 2019.

The first initiative is a global survey to assess the consistency of calculation models and design methods for a variety of geotechnical structures and, where possible, to compare the results with full-scale tests and reliability analyses. Ten specimen problems have been proposed, namely concentrically and eccentrically loaded spread footings, axially and laterally loaded piles, slopes and retaining structures. The idea is to keep the problems easy to analyse and representative of every-day geotechnical structures. You do not need to analyse all ten problems, although it would be appreciated if you did. Please feel free to submit responses for only problems that are typical of the work you do on a day-to-day basis.

The initial results of the global survey will be presented at the Asian Regional Conference in Taipei, October 2019. A detailed analysis of the results will be presented at the 2021 ISSMGE International Conference in Sydney. We believe that both will be very useful additions to the geotechnical engineering body of knowledge, and all geotechnical engineers are encouraged to contribute by taking part in the survey. The survey closes on Friday 2nd August 2019. Late submissions will be accepted but may not be included in the initial analysis of results for the Asian Regional Conference in Taipei.

The CAPG is also interested in creating leadership platforms for open discussion on important subjects in geotechnical engineering. At the 13th ANZ Geomechnics Conference in Perth in April 2019, the CAPG very successfully conducted a plenary session on the impact of collaboration on research and practice, engaging an audience of 400 geotechnical engineers. The second initiative on overdesign by the CAPG will be a similar one hour theme session on the subject of overdesign at the Asian Regional Conference in Taipei, October 2019 on the afternoon of Tuesday 15th October 2019. The CAPG has invited eminent persons in the field of geotechnical engineering from various parts of Asia to present their views at this CAPG session and interact very closely with the audience. The audience at the CAPG session will be encouraged through facilitation of an interactive session to exchange views and experiences from the different viewpoints. Please join us at this theme session if you are planning to attend the 16ARC.

In preparation for the 16ARC, the CAPG is in the process of assembling a broad list of questions for the panelists and the audience to consider. These are listed below in no particular order and I have avoided numbering for that purpose. Naturally, we will not have time to consider all these questions at the theme session. If you think one or more of these questions are the ones to be dealt within the one hour time at the 16ARC theme session, please nominate them here, by cutting and pasting the question, and if possible, your reasons for nominating. Thank you.

What do we mean by overdesigning?

How do we know when something is overdesigned?

Why do we see overdesign happening?

What are the implications of overdesigning?

What measures or conditions lead to overdesigning?

What measures or conditions restricts overdesign?

Is overdesigning always to be avoided? why?

What role do academia play in overdesigning?

What role do standards play in overdesigning?

What role do site investigations play in overdesigning?

What role do contractual arrangements play in overdesigning?

What is the role of government agencies in overdesigning?

What is the role of institutions in overdesigning?

What is the role of consultants in overdesigning?

What is the role of contractors in overdesigning?

What are the commonly adopted mechanisms to reduce the likelihood of overdesigning? Are they successful? How is that measured?

What are the standard publications or references that deal with overdesigning in geotechnical engineering?

Is it correct for us to only consider overdesigning in geotechnical engineering? Should we look at overdesigning in a multi disciplinary context?

What can each of us do to reduce the occurrence of overdesign?

What can institutions such as the ISSMGE and by extension Corporate Associate Presidential Group (CAPG) do to reduce the likelihood of overdesign?

What questions have not been asked about overdesigning?

What influence has the threat of legal action on overdesigning?

What influence has failures on overdesigning?

What influence has the history and development of soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering has on overdesigning?

What influence have fellow professionals in other fields (e.g. structural) have on overdesign in geotechnical engineering?

Finally, continued contribution to the ISSMGE by the Corporate Associates (List of CAs) and the dedication of the core team of corporate associates supporting the work of the CAPG is gratefully acknowledged.