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Alma · Bridge life 01 — Design

Fig. 1 — one bridge, its whole service life: designed, loaded, monitored

The new bridge Eurocodes, answered.

Alma transforms EN 1991-2 and EN 1990 Annex A.2 into an engineering knowledge system you can ask. Every answer is linked to its source, reviewed through a structured verification process, and curated by an engineer with two decades of experience in Eurocode standards, National Annexes, and their practical application. Ask a question, get an answer, and help Alma grow.

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Why Alma

What makes Alma different?

  • Sources cited
  • Engineering reasoning
  • National Annex aware
  • Committee background
  • Verified answers
  • Human-reviewed knowledge

Why now

The 2028 transition starts today.

The second-generation Eurocodes will gradually replace today's standards around the 2028 transition. Every bridge engineer will need to learn new rules, new terminology, and new ways of working.

1

The standards evolve

The second-generation Eurocodes reorganise familiar requirements, introduce new concepts, and redefine how engineers navigate the standards.

2

The knowledge is fragmented

The engineering reasoning behind many provisions is spread across technical reports, National Annex work and in best practices of a region — not just the published clauses.

3

Engineers need confidence

Finding the right clause is only the beginning. Engineers need answers they can verify, understand, and apply consistently.

4

Institutional memory

Store interpretations in a consistent format so that regional best practices can be reached by everyone.

Alma was created to bring standards, engineering reasoning, and practical experience together in one place.

Built in the open

Alma is at the start of its journey.

What exists today is Alma's first iteration: the standards gone through once — and so far only a few questions from practising engineers in the knowledge base. A second iteration is next, where every paragraph, equation and table gets a second pass. What Alma needs now are real questions from real bridge work — consider this an open invitation. Every question eligible for Alma's training will be answered personally, by email.

You ask

A real question from your work on EN 1991-2 or EN 1990 Annex A.2 — asked the way you'd ask a colleague.

You get an answer

If your question is used in Alma's training, a personally written, source-cited answer comes back to you — at no cost. The one constraint is time: fast answers are not promised. Not every question is used — but every one is read.

Alma grows

Every question used joins the training material and shows where the next verified answer is needed — so Alma grows where engineers actually work.

This is a first trial. What Alma becomes — an open resource, a subscription, an app, or nothing at all — is decided later. Right now, we are training Alma.

Get involved

Built for bridge engineers. Refined with bridge engineers.

Whether you're learning the second-generation Eurocodes, reviewing projects, preparing National Annexes, or teaching the next generation of engineers, Alma is designed to make the transition faster, more consistent, and easier to understand.

Collaborate on Alma

We're also seeking partners to help build National Annex knowledge and local engineering practice into Alma — working with universities, bridge owners, authorities and engineering consultancies.

Discuss a collaboration