In 2025, the Pile Driving Contractors Association (PDCA) reached a major milestone--30 years as a professional trade organization representing the driven pile industry. Throughout the year, the anniversary was celebrated in a number of meaningful ways, all focused on honoring the history and evolution of pile driving.

One of the highlights came at the 2025 Annual Conference, where attendees were greeted by a large hallway display filled with storyboards tracing centuries of pile driving history. It was a powerful visual reminder of how far the industry has come. For those who couldn't attend--or wanted a refresher--an abbreviated version of the exhibit was later shared in PileDriver magazine.

With so much attention given to the history of pile driving this year, we were excited to see that PDCA Engineering Affiliate Member Casey Jones of Foundation Testing & Consulting has been exploring that same theme in his own way. Casey, who also runs a popular YouTube channel focused on engineering concepts, recently released a fascinating deep dive into some of the earliest known examples of driven pile foundations.

If you're not familiar with Casey's work, his channel has nearly 70,000 subscribers and features content that often intersects with pile driving and foundation engineering. In a program released this past November, he shared that covering the history of pile driving has been something he's wanted to do for quite some time--and the result was well worth the wait.

We're pleased to share his video, "Ancient Pile Supported Foundations in Rome and Venice, Italy." The program walks viewers through early timber pile foundations and the tools and techniques used by ancient builders--many of which supported structures that are still standing today. It's a compelling reminder that while our equipment and methods have evolved, the fundamentals of pile-supported foundations have been around for centuries.

This video nicely complements the historical content PDCA has shared throughout 2025, and it's definitely worth a watch. Click the button below to view the 11-minute video and explore some of the earliest recorded pile driving work.

PDCA (Pile Driving Contractors Association), ADSC-The International Association of Foundation Drilling, DFl (Deep Foundations Institute), and G-I (Geo-Institute of American Society of Civil Engineers) have joined forces yet again for the International Foundations Congress and Equipment Expo (IFCEE), May 11-14, 2027. The event will be held at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas. 

The IFCEE 2027 program will feature technical paper and poster sessions, special sessions, short courses, indoor exhibits, an outdoor equipment exposition, outdoor short course tie-in events, technical committee meetings, demonstrations, and networking events. The conference attracts a wide range of attendees -- including general and specialty contractors, consulting and design engineers, policy makers, owners, researchers, educators, and students.

If you are considering a presence at IFCEE 2027 as an exhibitor, sponsor or advertiser, you can start planning your experience by downloading the Prospectus. Click the link below: