Lausanne, 19 june 2017.- Held in Bergen, Norway from 9th to 15th
June by the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
(ITA) and the Norwegian Tunnelling Society (NFF), the World Tunnel Congress and
43rd ITA General Assembly were a momentous occasion and an undoubted success
for the global tunnelling industry. During the six days, over 1,500 delegates -
experts, academics, civil and tunnel engineers - shared their experiences,
methodologies and state-of-the-art technologies on different aspects of
tunnelling and underground construction. Key issues faced by the industry were
discussed in order to achieve a unified industry response to the surface
challenges that affect urban populations.
A
serene classical music introduction by the Holbergsuiten Grieg ensemble, and an
opening speech given by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon Magnus of
Norway, were followed by the warm welcome given by ITA President Tarcisio
Celestino. This paved the way for the start of the congress.
From
this point flowed presentations, working groups, seminars and site visits. With
340 technical papers and 120 lectures, the World Tunnel Congress has once again
consolidated its position as the world's premier tunnelling event.
Ø
The
International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association makes major
announcements during the World Tunnel Congress 2017 :
·
The ITA releases the new global market study of
Tunnelling industry
During WTC 2017, the ITA released its latest
market survey highlighting the economic trends in global tunnelling. If 2016
was an excellent year, then the future is definitely bright.
With
a total €86bn global output for tunnel and underground space construction in
2016, which represents a 23% increase over the figure for 2013, the industry's
prospects for the coming years look to be very positive.
A few noteworthy factors have
emerged, notably the rise of the Middle East as a strong market with its
€10,2bn output in 2016 comparable to that of Europe (€9,7bn). Also on the rise
is the Indian market that has doubled in three years. The European market
however remains stable. China by itself represents about 50% of the world
market.
The key future trend in
tunnelling is undoubtedly the correlation between tunnels and sustainable
development. Throughout the world, major underground projects are characterised
by their sustainable credentials: for example, many cities are now building
tunnels for the temporary storage of storm water (typically 5m-10m diameter and
several kilometres long). Metro tunnels are increasingly used to alleviate traffic and reduce air pollution in most
cities in China, with similar huge developments on the horizon in India, in addition
to recent projects in Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
The ITA analysis predicts a global output in tunnel construction of
around €680bn,
representing a pipeline of work of more than eight years. The total combined projects for India, South-East Asia
and China match the total for Europe, and together they represent 75% of the global tunnelling output.
·
The Tunnelling Association Nigeria joins the ITA:
Nigeria was officially welcomed as the 74th
member nation and represented by Mr. Abidemi Agwor, President of Tunnelling
Association Nigeria.
|
Handshake – Mr. Abidemi Agwor, President of
Tunnelling Association Nigeria & Prof. Tarcisio Celestino, President of
ITA
|
The new membership of Nigeria into the ITA shows
the strong determination of the Africa’s most powerful economy, which
represents $520.1B[1]
with a capacity to grow at rates greater than 5 percent yearly, as demonstrated
in the 6.2% growth rate[2]
before slowing down in 2015, to attain the goals fixed by the UN. For example,
the African Urban Agenda (UN-Habitat programme) sets sustainable development
targets for a 2063 horizon; and the sixth main target of the UN for sustainable
development that states “By 2030, [to] achieve universal and equitable access
to safe and affordable drinking water for all”.
A lot of things have already been done in order
to improve the situation: Lagos has four wastewater treatment plants which have
been rehabilitated around 2010. From 2011, the state planned to build ten new
"mega wastewater treatment plants" over a five-years period with the
help of private investors. The National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan
launched in December 2013 proposed a yearly spend of $30 billions over the next
5 years.
“Membership
of the ITA will certainly boost the efforts that have previously been put into
initiating the extensive promotion of using our underground space in Nigeria.
We have set ourselves a 10-year strategic plan which we expect not just to
achieve but surpass and being a member nation of the ITA is key to us meeting
these goals. As an association with
global relevance, part of our objectives is to promote the sustainable
development Goals as set by the United Nations especially the goals that
directly affect water and sewage, infrastructure and habitable environment, we
are aware that these are also core global objectives of the ITA.” Mr. Abidemi Agwor, President of Tunnelling
Association Nigeria
·
From Norway to…Malaysia!
On Wednesday 14th June, during the ITA General Assembly, the 74 member
nations of the ITA elected the host nation for WTC 2020. After rigorous
scrutiny of the three applicants, the winner was Malaysia with 30 votes,
against 22 for Australia.
|
Dr. Ooi Teik Aun, Chairman of the Tunnelling and
Underground Technical Division of the Institution of Engineers, Malaysia
|
Tunnelling Market in
Malaysia:
Malaysia is experiencing steady growth in urban areas and therefore
requires improved infrastructure in transportation and energy. Recently, the
country launched successful urban underground projects such as: the SMART
project to provide a storm water storage reservoir and a 9,7km, 11,8m diameter
bypass tunnel; Pahang-Selangor Raw Water Transfer Tunnel, which can deliver
1,89 billion litres per day, and the Mass Rapid Transit, a rail-based public
transport network.
Ø A worldwide event dedicated to
innovation & high-skilled expertise :
The line-up for WTC2017
included:
Ø Muir Wood Lecture
Now a much
anticipated event at WTC, this year's Muir Wood lecture was given by Professor
Hakan Stille of The Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm. The theme was 'Geological Uncertainties in Tunnelling -
Risk Assessment and Quality Assurance' and Prof Stile noted that compared
to other civil engineering projects, the greater uncertainties in rock tunnelling
may require adapting various standards to suit underground projects. The
tunnelling industry needs an appropriate project model based on tollgates and
milestones that is applicable to rock engineering based on the epistemic nature
of geological uncertainties and which can be minimised by updated observation
and investigation.
Prof Stille said
that interpreting warning signs can prevent events such as tunnel collapse and
high levels of water ingress, and if the project manager has overall
responsibility the work can respond to the encountered complexity.
He reminded the
audience that rock is unlike concrete and steel, so normal calculations alone
are insufficient for design verification. In most cases therefore, the
observational approach in tunnelling is mandatory and can be seen as part of
risk assessment and quality control.
A common approach is to adopt prescriptive measures such as rock
classification systems although their limitations must be understood in order
to achieve adequate risk assessments. ‘Doing things right’ and ‘doing the right
things’ form part of a dual quality system as defined in Euro Code 7 (EC7) that
must be adapted to rock engineering problems.
The “Open
Session”:
Tuesday's Open
Session had as its theme 'Rethinking
major infrastructure projects: a new look at underground solutions and public
acceptance.' A total of seven eminent speakers enthralled the audience with
a variety of tunnel projects and themes that explored not just the technical
and financial aspects, but also questions around the importance of gaining
public acceptance. But how do we achieve that?
Communicating to
the public the benefits of tunnelling projects, including works mitigation and
schedules, and environmental considerations, was considered critical in getting
public support and understanding for these schemes. In many of the projects
discussed, such as enlarging the underground station adjacent to Norway's National
Theatre in Oslo, and New York's Second Avenue Subway it became apparent that
neighbours and residents desire minimal disturbance (noise, vibrations, dust
etc) and limited project visibility, as well as early promotion of the
contractor's environmental programme and mitigation measures.
Where possible,
from the earliest possible stages, we should clearly identify and communicate
the benefits that these projects will bring to the localities concerned. This
is particularly true if there are to be spin-offs in terms of economic growth,
wealth creation and jobs. Local community support is therefore essential and it
is important to:
Ø Liaise with neighbours, stakeholders, politicians and media to highlight
the construction works schedule and identify challenges and mitigation
measures; communicate with them at all stages of the project to keep them
involved;
Ø Each project is different and therefore technical solutions must be
adapted to suit the local environment and
Ø Respecting the general public is key to gaining acceptance for the
project, especially when the work site is in a sensitive area and the project
has high media scrutiny.
The open sessions generated interesting questions including how to
define an environmental programme during the construction phase; what kind of
mitigations were put in place to minimise disturbance and environmental impact
(can these be reused as tools on other projects?). And did project design teams
include specific sub-teams to take care of liaison and community relations?
Combined technical sessions
It wouldn't be a
WTC without the participation of the ITA's expert committees which were fully
active in Bergen.
The ITA Committee
on Technologies (ITAtech) looked at 'Innovation in Drill and Blast, and Rock
Support'. Papers included the use of conveyor belts for mucking on the Solbakk
project (the world's longest and deepest subsea road tunnel); investigating
blast damage; insitu pressure
measurements during pre-excavation grouting in rock tunnels, and the
design philosophy for permanent sprayed concrete linings.
ITACUS (Committee
on Underground Space) examined the 'Use of the Underground', and in particular
new ideas and uses for underground space. This went beyond simply utility
tunnels and examined new commercial uses, underground concourses and how cities
can utilise underground space for sustainable development. How can we as an
industry influence the development of new undergound uses?
The ITA-COSUF
(Committee on Operational Safety and Underground Facilities) had the theme of
'New Security Challenges for Design and Operation'. Terrorism has unfortunately
become a fact of life. How should it be managed in tunnel systems? How will
decision making be influenced in times of disaster and terror? And how can we
protect tunnel control centres from threats to their cyber security?
Working Group 22: dedicated to digital applications and BIM
The creation of the
Working Group 22 was agreed by the ITA General Assembly, around “Information
Modelling in Tunnelling”. This group gathers Australia, Austria, Brazil,
Germany, Italy, Norway, Slovenia, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland and United
Kingdom. Its animator is Dr. Jurij Karlovsek and Vice -animateur is Mr. Paolo
Cucino.
This working group aims to study “Building Information Modeling”
software’s application for the underground construction. Identifying the
differences between civil engineering and underground constructions and ensure
that BIM respects these differences is one of the main goal of this group. It
also focuses on the development of common procedures based on experiences and
lessons learned including other engineering fields.
About the International Tunnelling and
Underground Space Association:
The International Tunnelling and
Underground Space Association (ITA) is a non-profit and non-governmental
international organization, which promotes the use of underground space for a
solution to sustainable development. Founded in 1974 and operating out of
Lausanne, Switzerland, ITA currently associates 74 Member Nations, 300
affiliated members, 17 Prime Sponsors and 60 supporters, as well as individual
members.
