The Second Generation of Eurocodes: What Structural and Geotechnical Engineers Need to Know to Prepare

The second generation of Eurocodes is being released gradually. Engineer Bjorn Vandensteendam explains what this means for civil engineering and geotechnical engineering.

The time has come: after a decade of revisions, the second-generation Eurocodes are finally being published one by one. The new standards include, among other things, numerous adjustments to account for technical developments, climate change, and modern design methods. At the same time, harmonization and a clearer structure of the standards promise greater practical applicability. In this interview, Bjorn Vandensteendam, Team Lead Technical Services at ALLPLAN, explains why the second-generation Eurocodes are more than just an update, what makes them so relevant for structural engineers and geotechnical engineers, what deadlines apply for the transition, and why design firms would be wise to get started now.

Bjorn Vandensteendam, why are the second-generation Eurocodes more than just an update—and what makes this reform so relevant to structural and geotechnical engineers?

The second generation of Eurocodes will, in particular, change the structure, content, and scope of application of the standards—with direct implications for design, verification, and software, as well as for the liability of structural and geotechnical engineers. Most importantly, however, assessment approaches, partial safety concepts, and verification methods in various fields will be expanded, harmonized, and adapted based on extensive research conducted in recent years.

A key objective is to reduce the number of parameters set at the national level. This is intended to create a more uniform level of safety across Europe and to make evidence more comparable between countries. For designers, this means fewer “changes in standards” on the one hand, but also less leeway due to national adjustments on the other. In addition, there is the new structure of the regulations. The content has been streamlined, overlaps have been reduced, and terminology has been standardized. In the future, many typical verification situations will fall under simplified procedures. This simplifies standard cases but simultaneously requires a substantive change in the chapter structure, references, and detailed requirements.

Another significant change is the inclusion of new materials in the design standards. Specific provisions are being introduced for glass structures, atmospheric icing, wave and current effects, as well as for the assessment and reinforcement of existing structures. As a result, many aspects that were previously addressed in guidelines, technical brochures, or based on engineering experience will be incorporated directly into the Eurocodes.

At the same time, robustness, sustainability, and climate resilience are becoming increasingly important. The standards no longer consider buildings solely in terms of traditional limit value verification, but rather across their entire life cycle—from design and use to maintenance, retrofitting, and reuse. For many firms, this represents a genuine shift in perspective within the design process.

What specific changes will this bring for civil engineers and geotechnical engineers? Which of these developments will have the greatest impact on their daily work?

The revision of EN 1990 plays a key role. In the future, the base standard will be divided into two parts—one for new buildings and one for existing buildings—and will cover geotechnical aspects, robustness, and new types of structures such as towers, silos, tanks, and coastal structures in a much more systematic manner. This has a direct impact on safety approaches, load combinations, and the definition of the load-bearing structure.

In the materials sector, the new Eurocode 2 will be significantly expanded. In the future, bridges, watertight structures, containment structures, CFRP reinforcement, and steel-fiber-reinforced concrete will be consolidated into a central section of the standard. At the same time, new rules will be introduced for higher concrete strengths, stainless steel reinforcement, and recycled concrete. Civil engineers will therefore need to revise their design models, detailed design checks, and material selections—particularly in bridge engineering and specialized civil engineering.

The second generation also brings significant changes for geotechnical engineers. The previous two-part Eurocode 7 will become a three-part standard with expanded provisions on groundwater levels and pressures, durability, and robustness. Another new feature is the introduction of a standardized procedure for bearing capacity verifications using numerical models, which provides a stronger foundation for geotechnical FEM calculations. At the same time, geotechnical aspects will be more closely integrated with EN 1990. This requires that structural engineers and geotechnical engineers align safety factors, load combinations, and model assumptions even more closely in the future.

For steel, the second generation introduces significant improvements that reflect the current state of research and construction practice. Stability checks have been improved through refined buckling curves and an updated general method for more accurate predictions of the instability of steel members. The range of materials has been expanded to include steel grades up to S700 in EN 1993-1-1 and S960 in EN 1993-1-12. A major innovation concerns semi-compact (Class 3) sections, with new rules that allow for elastic-plastic transitions. The provisions regarding fire resistance have also been modernized with performance-based design approaches and refined methods for determining critical temperatures. Two new parts supplement the standard: EN 1993-1-13 for beams with large web openings and EN 1993-1-14 for design supported by finite element analysis.

EN 1992-1-1 for the design of concrete introduces mechanically based models for improved accuracy and transparency. The provisions for shear and punching shear have been completely reformulated using the Critical Shear Crack Theory (CSCT), which properly accounts for size effects and slenderness. Crack models have been refined with improved formulas for crack spacing and width, enabling more durable designs. The scope of the standard has been drastically expanded by consolidating provisions from separate parts for bridges and retaining structures into EN 1992-1-1, with new annexes on CFRP reinforcement, steel fiber-reinforced concrete, concrete with recycled aggregates, and the assessment of existing structures.

When will the second generation of Eurocodes take effect—and how much lead time is realistic for designers to prepare for this?

The second generation of Eurocodes will take effect on March 30, 2028, at which time the first generation must be repealed throughout Europe. Until then, there will be a coexistence phase during which both generations may be applied in parallel, depending on national implementation and transition rules.

At the European level, clear deadlines apply: the final drafts must be submitted to the national standards organizations by March 2026 at the latest. These must be published nationally by September 2027 at the latest, before the formal withdrawal of the old generation takes place in March 2028. In Germany, the publication of the standards has been taking place gradually since the fall of 2024 and is expected to be completed around the fall of 2027. The date on which the standards become legally binding is then determined by state building codes, administrative regulations, and transition periods.

Realistically speaking, design firms therefore have a transition period of about two to three years to adapt their technical processes, organization, and software. The period from 2026 to 2027, in particular, offers the opportunity to develop training programs, establish internal standards, and create initial reference designs. Many organizations and software manufacturers therefore recommend starting pilot projects now, so that everyone is fully prepared when the first generation of Eurocodes is withdrawn.

What are the risks if firms wait too long to make the transition to the new Eurocodes?

A common misconception is that existing projects must automatically be redesigned to comply with the new Eurocodes. As a general rule, this does not apply to approved designs. However, challenges may arise for projects still in the design phase if the relevant regulatory framework changes during the project and the authorities suddenly require compliance with the new version. Therefore, particularly for bridges, large structures, or specialized civil engineering projects with long lead times, it is important to specify contractually at an early stage which generation of the standard applies and which version the approving authority expects.

In addition, there is the issue of structural reassessments and changes in use for existing buildings. In these cases, it is expected that government agencies will prefer the second generation in the medium term. Earlier project approaches can no longer be easily adapted, which may lead to inconsistent results and additional effort. It is also an organizational risk to delay updating internal templates, standard details, and software. Firms that wait to do so run the risk of efficiency and liability issues, as the design calculations no longer comply with current standards. Ultimately, this can lead to a rushed transition under time pressure—including training, software changes, and process adjustments during day-to-day operations—rather than a planned transition spread over several years.

What advice do you have for engineers who are still hesitant?

Making the switch now is worthwhile, because the coexistence phase offers a limited period during which firms can familiarize themselves with the new rules—without too much pressure, but using real projects. If you let these years slip by, you’ll have to catch up later in terms of software, processes, and training—all under significantly tighter deadlines and greater competitive pressure. The new Eurocodes are not merely a cosmetic revision. They introduce new verification formats, safety concepts, and structural frameworks, for example in Eurocode 2 and Eurocode 3. Early pilot projects help teams understand these changes, gain experience, and adapt internal standards before auditors or clients urgently demand compliance with the new generation of standards.

An early start also makes economic sense: training, software updates, and internal adjustments can be spread out over several years rather than triggering a surge in costs shortly before the previous generation is phased out. At the same time, this reduces the risk of projects being launched based on standards that may be phased out during the project. The psychological impact should not be underestimated either. Those who wait experience the transition as an external obligation. Those who start now can proceed selectively, make mistakes, and learn while the previous generation is still available as an alternative option, and use the second generation as an opportunity to modernize processes and tools comprehensively.