International Commission
of Large Dams
Specialized Courses
Specialized Courses at ICOLD Mexico 2026
During the ICOLD Mexico 2026 event, specialized courses on key technologies in hydraulic engineering will be offered, focused on improving participants' practical understanding. These courses will cover areas such as BIM design, hydropower plants, and hydrological research in mountainous rivers. In addition, the courses will be accompanied by technical and laboratory visits to strengthen understanding of the topics covered.
Course Format and Organizational Aspects
Date: Friday, May 16, 2026.
Venue: Mexico City International Convention and Exhibition Center.
Number of participants: Each course will have a limit of 40 people to promote interaction.
Language: Spanish (if simultaneous translation is required, it will be provided).
Course material: Material will be provided in physical format.
Certificate: Participants will receive a training certificate upon completion of each course.
Courses:
Course No. 1: BIM Design of Reservoir Dams
Organizer: ICOLD Mexico
Duration: Full day
This course will address the use of BIM (Building Information Modeling) applied to the design of reservoir dams. Key aspects will be covered from the planning to the design phase, including:
HydroBIM System: Technical system, standard platform and collaborative design platform.
HydroBIM Design Platform: Pumped storage dam design and planning, including water conveyance system design and CAE analysis and reporting design.
Price: $100 USD (includes lunch and course materials).
Course No. 2: Dispatch and control of hydroelectric stations and reservoirs
Organizer: ICOLD Mexico
Duration: Full day
This course will provide training in technologies and systems for the dispatch and control of hydroelectric plants and reservoirs. It is aimed at professionals from management agencies or power generation companies, focusing on centralized remote control and multi-objective dispatch optimization.
It includes a technical visit to the Three Gorges Waterfall Control Center in Mexico City, where participants will be able to interact directly with engineers.
Price: $150 USD (includes technical visit, lunch and transportation).
Course No. 3: New hydraulic challenges in water projects on mountainous rivers
Organizer: ICOLD Mexico
Duration: Half day
This course will focus on the hydraulic challenges of water projects on mountainous rivers, addressing topics such as safe discharge management and energy dissipation in large water projects, hydraulic ecological problems and solutions, and flood disaster prevention in mountains.
Price: $50 USD (includes laboratory visit and transportation).
Course No. 4: Design and construction of rock-filled concrete dams
Organizer: Technical Committee on Rock-Filled Concrete Dams of ICOLD Mexico
Duration: Full day
This course will present the design and construction technologies for rock-filled concrete dams (RFCD), an innovative technology that uses high-performance self-compacting concrete to fill the voids between large pre-placed boulders. This technique significantly reduces cement consumption and construction costs. These dams are currently being implemented in Mexico to optimize costs and construction time.
Technical visit: Rock-filled concrete dam under construction near Mexico City.
Price: $150 USD (includes technical visit, lunch and transportation).