TC204 of the ISSMGE was first established in 1989 as TC28 and has made major commitments towards collecting information concerning the geotechnical aspects of the design, construction and analysis of deep excavations, tunnels and large underground structures in the urban environment. The first symposium was held in New Delhi in 1994 and nine more symposia were held in London (1996), Tokyo (1999), Toulouse (2002), Amsterdam (2005), Shanghai (2008), Rome (2011), Seoul (2014), Sao Paulo (2017) and Cambridge (2022). The 11th International Symposium of Geotechnical Aspects of Underground Construction in Soft Ground (IS-Macau 2024) will be held in Macao SAR, China on June 14 – 17, 2024. It is organized by State Key Laboratory of IoT for Smart City (IoTSC) and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Macau and TC204 of International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE).

The theme of IS-Macau 2024 is“Tunnelling and Underground Construction for Smart Cities”. This highly successful series of TC204 symposium provides a premier forum for researchers and practitioners to present and discuss new problems, solutions, and technologies in underground construction and related areas. IS-Macau 2024 will solicit high-quality original research for publication in the conference proceedings and a special issue in the journal of Underground Space.

Macao is the single most consistent example of cultural interchange between Europe and Asia. The official languages are Chinese and Portuguese. Having developed into a bustling city with a worldwide reputation in entertainment, Macao is also at the heart of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, which promotes its fast development in infrastructure development and underground construction in recent years.