Department of Reinforced Concrete Structures and Geotechnics

The origins of the Department date back to the establishment of the University of Lithuania in 1922. The Department of Bridges was entrusted with teaching the design of masonry, timber, steel, and reinforced concrete bridges, including bridge design projects. At that time, structural engineering and bridge engineering were regarded as a single discipline.

The Department of Bridges was reorganized into the Department of Bridges and Steel Structures within the Faculty of Civil Engineering. The department was headed by Associate Professor J. Kuodis. He was the first Lithuanian reinforced concrete specialist to defend a Doctor of Technical Sciences dissertation, which he completed in 1936 at the Higher Technical School in Vienna.

In the autumn semester, the Department of Bridges and Steel Structures was renamed the Department of Bridges and Structures.

The Department of Reinforced Concrete Structures and Bridges was established within the Faculty of Civil Engineering, headed by Senior Lecturer A. Rozenbliumas. In 1958, he was awarded the State Prize in Science and Technology for his work Prefabricated Reinforced Concrete or Armosilicate Arches (Frame Trusses) for Building Roof Structures.

At the Kaunas Polytechnic Institute (KPI) Evening Division in Vilnius, established in 1956 and transformed into the KPI Vilnius Branch in 1961, reinforced concrete courses were taught by lecturers from the Department of Civil Engineering, headed by Associate Professor V. Kriščiūnas. Reinforced concrete courses were taught by A. Kudzys, while foundation engineering was taught by V. Pranaitis.

On 1 September, the Department of Civil Engineering was divided into two departments: the Department of Urban Construction and the Department of Structural Engineering. Associate Professor Antanas Kudzys was appointed Head of the Department of Structural Engineering.

G. Marčiukaitis, P. Pukelis, and their colleagues received the Lithuanian State Prize in Science and Technology for their work Research on Prestressed Reinforced Concrete Structures.

A. Kudzys defended his Habilitated Doctor dissertation and became the first professor in Lithuania to conduct research in reinforced concrete mechanics, as well as the first professor of the Vilnius Civil Engineering Institute.

The Department of Structural Engineering was renamed the Department of Reinforced Concrete Structures, headed by Professor A. Kudzys until 1992. This enabled the further development of research in concrete and reinforced concrete. From 1967 to 1995, on the initiative of the department’s researchers, the continuing scientific publication Reinforced Concrete Structures was published, with a total of 17 volumes.

The first research space was set up in the basement, while precast floor slabs were tested in the courtyard, marking the department’s first experimental research project.

Professor A. Kudzys was awarded the State Prize in Science and Technology for his series of works Theory and Practice of Circular Reinforced Concrete Structures.

The Structural Engineering Laboratory, operating within the Department of Reinforced Concrete Structures, moved into a newly constructed laboratory building at Saulėtekio Ave. 11. This significantly improved the conditions for scientific research. The laboratory was equipped with state-of-the-art equipment for testing concrete, reinforced concrete, and masonry structures.

Professor A. Kudzys was elected a Corresponding Member of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences.

A computing unit of the Vilnius Civil Engineering Institute Computer Centre was established within the Structural Engineering Laboratory to digitalize structural testing. Dedicated exclusively to the laboratory, the unit was equipped with two SM-578 computers connected to three mobile data acquisition systems. This substantially increased the speed and accuracy of data collection and facilitated the analysis of research results.

A. Kudzys, R. Vadlūga, V. Jokūbaitis, and J. Kivilša received the State Prize in Science and Technology for the textbook Reinforced Concrete Structures.

Professor A. Kudzys became a Full Member (Academician) of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences.

From 1993 to 1994, the Department of Reinforced Concrete Structures was headed by Associate Professor R. Vadlūga.

Professor G. Marčiukaitis became Head of the Department.

The department was renamed the Department of Reinforced Concrete and Masonry Structures.

By 2000, a total of 40 doctoral dissertations had been completed and defended within the department. The department’s researchers had also authored and published 10 scientific monographs.

Since 2000, members of the department have authored and published 13 textbooks, produced 8 scientific monographs, and supervised 35 successfully defended doctoral dissertations.

Since 2000, three members of the department have been awarded the title of Professor Emeritus: Professor G. Marčiukaitis (2001), Professor J. Valivonis (2023), and Professor G. Kaklauskas (2025).

The Department of Bridges and Special Structures was established by bringing together the principal bridge researchers from the Departments of Reinforced Concrete and Masonry Structures and Steel Structures. Professor G. Kaklauskas was appointed Head of the Department. Research activities focused on bridge analysis and investigation, making it the only university department in Lithuania specializing in this field. Its researchers carried out investigations and full-scale testing of numerous Lithuanian bridges, significantly contributing to the safety of these structures.

From 2002 to 2006, the Department of Reinforced Concrete and Masonry Structures was headed by Professor P. Vainiūnas, Dean of the Faculty of Civil Engineering.

From 2006 to 2017, the department was headed by Professor J. Valivonis.

Following the establishment of the Sunrise Valley Science and Innovation Centre in Saulėtekis, the Civil Engineering Research Centre (CERC) of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University was created by integrating the university’s civil engineering laboratories. The department’s Structural Engineering Laboratory became part of this centre while remaining administratively under the Department of Reinforced Concrete and Masonry Structures. Under the leadership of Professor J. Valivonis, the laboratory’s research equipment was comprehensively modernized. At the same time, a modern Geotechnical Laboratory was established and equipped under the leadership of Professor A. Norkus.

Professor G. Kaklauskas was elected a Full Member (Academician) of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences.

Professor G. Kaklauskas was awarded the Lithuanian State Science Prize in the field of technological sciences. In the same year, he received the Moisseiff Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

The Department of Reinforced Concrete Structures and Geotechnics launched and has since been delivering the master’s programme Building Information Modelling.

As part of the reorganization of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, the Departments of Bridges, Geotechnics, and Engineering Architecture were merged with the Department of Reinforced Concrete and Masonry Structures to form the Department of Reinforced Concrete Structures and Geotechnics. Professor J. Valivonis was appointed Head of the Department.

The Department of Reinforced Concrete Structures and Geotechnics became the only integrated academic and research unit in Lithuania specializing in reinforced concrete structures, masonry structures, reinforced concrete bridges, and geotechnics. Its main research areas include reinforced concrete mechanics and reliability; development and analysis of design methods for reinforced concrete structures; application of polymers and non-metallic reinforcement in reinforced concrete; sandwich structures; soil mechanics and geotechnical design methods; foundation analysis and design; behaviour of underground structures; behaviour and durability assessment of reinforced concrete bridges; strengthening and sustainability of structural systems.

Since 2017, the department has organized and coordinated the Master’s study programme in Geotechnics, the only programme in Lithuania dedicated to educating specialists in geotechnical and foundation engineering.

Professor G. Kaklauskas received the Excellence Award from the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers. He is also included in Stanford University’s list of the world’s top 2% most influential scientists in the field of Civil Engineering.

Professor J. Valivonis was elected a Full Member (Academician) of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences.