Sustainability key theme for BTS Conference 2022

ITA president Prof Arnold Dix is one of three keynote speakers opening the conference on October 11 with his paper “Down to the Next Level – A Role for the UN Global Compact for the Underground Sector?”.

Dix says the tunnelling industry must embrace, master, measure and communicate the advantages of going underground using modern concepts, language and metrics. He will outline how the principles of the United Nations Global Compact, encompassing the essence of the UN Social Development Goals, provide a strategic framework for advocating the merits of underground works.

He will argue that a new decision-making framework that builds on the 10 principles of the UN Global Compact would provide an informative strategic framework for all aspects of tunnelling – from comparing design concepts to contracts, SDG measurement, labour, equity and planet, to finance and operations.

“We are in a state of global crisis on so many levels – it’s time we embrace the issues of people and planet. Embracing the UN Global Compact might be the missing overarching how,” Dix said.

In September, Dix outlined his plans for the ITA. To read more, click here.

Another keynote speaker, Antonia Cornaro, Expert Underground Space, Amberg Engineering and co-chair of ITACUS, the ITA’s Committee on Underground Space, will look at the latest alternative and innovative uses of underground space, such as data storage and food production, and multifunctional and multiuser facilities such as cargo sous terrain in Switzerland. She will also consider traditional transport infrastructure serving multiple aims.

In 2018, Cornaro and Han Admiraal co-authored “Underground spaces unveiled”, published by the ICE, which explores underground space as a sustainable form urban development.

To read more about this book, click here.

Reducing carbon emissions is a big focus for the tunnelling industry, and on day 2, Dr Chris Peaston, director, Peaston Concrete Consultancy Ltd and Stuart Manning, technical director, Shotcrete Services Ltd will deliver a presentation on “Maximising the potential for carbon reduction”.

In T&T in August, Peaston, Chris Goodier, Sergio Cavalaro and Zhi Hu of Loughborough University, Michael Sataya of Arup, Stuart Manning of Shotcrete Services, and John Reddy of Ecocem summarised their research on low carbon sprayed concrete (LCSC), including work for HS2. To read the full article, click here.

The report for Stage 1 of the research was submitted to the HS2 Innovation Team in June. The findings demonstrate the potential to use calcium aluminate (CA)-based powdered accelerators to successfully facilitate the incorporation of 70% GGBS in sprayed concrete, while achieving tunnelling industry standard performance requirements. Stage 2 of the research is under way.

The report to the HS2 Innovation Team and to the ITAtech Activity Group on Low Carbon Concrete Linings outlined that further research and liaison with industry was needed to enable the LCSC innovation to be ‘tunnel ready’.

As well as the two-day conference, the event, at the QEII Conference Centre in London, also includes an exhibition of nearly 50 companies.

Delegate registration for the conference and drinks reception is £175 for BTS members and £225 for non-members. The exhibition is free to attend.

For more information and to register, please click here.