ITA president to give keynote at BTS Conference

Dix, who was elected at WTC 2022 in Copenhagen this month, will speak on “Down to the next level – A Role for the UN Global Compact for the Underground Sector?”

Other keynote speakers are Antonia Cornaro, underground space expert at Amberg Engineering, and co-chair of ITACUS, the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association’s Committee on Underground Space; and John Davis, senior partner at Geotechnical Consulting Group LLP, and Antony Drake, technical director at Mott MacDonald. Cornaro will address alternative and innovative uses of underground space, while Davis and Drake will look at the soon to be published CIRIA GBR Good Practice Guide.

The two-day conference programme also includes a session entitled “The nuclear future” where topics include decommissioning, disposal facilities and Muon tomography for safety and safeguarding in nuclear waste geological repositories.

During a session on SCL innovation Dr Jiang Su, Ramboll technical director, tunnels and underground space, will discuss multi-layer lining design: a new framework for tunnel lining design; Dr Karl Gunnar Holter, of the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, will look at permanent waterproof sprayed concrete lining and outline the findings from the SUPERCON research project; Dr Mehdi Serati, School of Civil Engineering, University of Queensland will discuss synthetic glass aggregates in shotcrete production; and Dr Chris Peaston, director, Peaston Concrete Consultancy Ltd and Stuart Manning, technical director, Shotcrete Services Ltd will look at maximising the potential for carbon reduction.

A UK focus session will include two speakers from the HS2 project. BBV JV project director – tunnels Gullaume Lefrere will give an overview of HS2 tunnelling activities at Long Itchington Wood, while a second presentation will look at the challenges and progress on the HS2 SCS JV tunnels.

Ben Muncey, senior project manager National Grid, and Raj Kundan, technical manager Hochtief Murphy JV, will outline progress and insights into the construction of London Power Tunnels 2 tunnels and shafts.

TunnelSkills chair Neil Hancox will close the UK session with an update on TunnelSkills.

The BTS meeting, focused on “The BTS/ICE specification 4^th edition. Collaborating for sustainability”, will be held on the evening of October 11, followed by a drinks reception.

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