Preface

It is with immense pleasure that we present The First Latin American Conference in Structural Engineering and Construction (LATAM SEC), a part of the International Structural Engineering and Construction (ISEC) Society’s conference series. Hosted by Pontificia University Católica del Ecuador, in Quito Ecuador and was held 4-8 March 2024 in Quito, Ecuador. During the planning of The First Latin American Conference in Structural Engineering and Construction (LATAM SEC 2024), the environmental and social situation globally and particularly in Ecuador escalated in a negative way which made us realize that we were, and are, in fact, honoring our conference commitment: "Leading Construction Technology Systems for Today's Environmental and Social Crises" seeing our professions with their most positive impact on our society.

The natural resources are globally being rapidly depleted, and the environment compromised, due to the great rate of resource consumption, such as excessive energy consumption, increased mining, and massive over-building in the built environment. This takes an environmental toll through global warming, exhaustion of forest resources, water scarcity, and extreme pollution in land, air and bodies of water. All these facts trigger social despair, and consequently, they result in insecurity. Correspondingly, sustainable and socially aware solutions in structural engineering and construction are a greater challenge than ever before. The LATAM SEC collaborative international conference for researchers serves as a practical and efficient mechanism for discussing and seeking solutions to the problems created by excessive consumption and social despair behavior.

The conference proceeding contains technical papers presented at the Conference. There are 85 articles by 180 authors and co-authors. All articles have been selected after a rigorous peer-review process of two stages - the abstract review and the full paper review. Sixty-two (62) papers were presented in parallel technical sessions, providing opportunity for discussion points on the latest research methods and practices being conducted globally.

Topics covered in this book are in the multidisciplinary area of Civil Engineering, including legal affairs and contracting, construction technology and innovation, facilities and asset management, project management and risk analysis, safety and quality, territorial planning and development, analysis and design of structural systems, culture and heritage, materials, pavement, architecture, water infrastructure and management, education and sustainability, and many more.

During the difficult times for Ecuador in which LATAM SEC 2024 was held, we would like to thank all the local support and the authors published in this book for their contribution. Thank you also to the members of the International Technical Committee and all the reviewers, copyeditors, and proofreaders for their assistance in the review process. Last but not least, thank you to all the conference participants for sharing their ideas, knowledge, and fruitful discussions during the technical sessions.

We hope that this conference contributes to future cooperation amongst professionals in Structural Engineering and Construction, in and outside the region. Best wishes to all,

Enrique Villacís, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
Cynthia Ayarza, Ensusitio Lecturer Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, Ecuador
Jorge Bucheli, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
Siamak Yazdani, California State University, Pomona, USA
Amarjit Singh, University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA
Editors