A gathering, once again, face-to-face for the global tunnelling community. A coming together, finally, after the difficulties and distances brought by the challenges of shielding for societal health protection during the worst of the covid pandemic.
WTC is coming back.
On site.
Of course, it never went away, thanks to the immense efforts and determined endeavours of the last hosts – Malaysia, almost exactly two years ago – to make the Congress happen at all.
But this WTC will offer face-to-face professional and personal meetings once again – so important to connections and exchanges and learning, no matter the age of sophisticated and flexible, and adaptive, telecommunication and online technologies. They are important but, it may be argued, supplementary. Complementary, perhaps.
And, so, they too have a role to play this time. Online attendance is also a possibility to tune in to the conference sessions.
But getting this far, this year, was not always quite so certain. Earlier in the planning, the event had been scheduled for 2021, and then foreseen for spring 2022 before settling into the more assured timing of this September. Much has had to be adjusted by both ITA and the host, the Danish Society for Tunnels and Underground Works (Dansk Forening for Tunnelog Undergrundsarbejder – DFTU).
And successfully so.
A splendid congress is prepared and awaits all.
MESSAGE OF SUSTAINABILITY
Much of the strategic theme of WTC 2022 is sustainability, informing many aspects of the conference themes running in parallel and many papers chosen for presentation and discussion.
Sustainability is rising in importance as a challenge for the global tunnelling industry, and the Malaysia hosts in the online WTC 2020 also took forward this growing area of information need for the industry. Tunnellers need to gain awareness and appreciation of its many dimensions and, from there, seek greater knowledge of practical ways to take on the challenges, and opportunities, presented.
The theme also very much informs the preconference training course being offered to delegates, taking place over two days on 2-3 September.
For the main conference, the approach to sustainability has four main themes – climate resilience; innovative solutions for a sustainable society; subsurface planning; and, sustainable underground structures.
These will be covered in technical sessions held in the first two afternoons, and then all day Wednesday, the final day of the conference.
The venue for WTC 2022 is the Bella Congress Centre, in Copenhagen.
TECHNICAL SESSIONS
All through the four half-day sessions of WTC 2022, four tracks will run in parallel.
For Monday afternoon, 5 Sep
- Track 1: Building Information Modelling (BIM), and then Planning
- Track 2: Contractual Practices, and then Groundwater Control
- Track 3: Conventional Tunnelling (refurbishment, project reports)
- Track 4: Mechanised Tunnelling (ground conditioning, project reports)
For Tuesday afternoon, 6 Sep
- Track 1: Cut and Cover, and then Immersed Tube Tunnels
- Track 2: Operation and Maintenance
- Track 3: Conventional Tunnelling (ground treatment, support systems)
- Track 4: Operational Safety, and then Mechanised Tunnelling (research & data)
For Wednesday morning, 7 Sep
- Track 1: Instrumentation and Monitoring
- Track 2: Mechanised Tunnelling, and then Geology & Geotechnics (modelling)
- Track 3: Conventional Tunnelling (deformations, execution)
- Track 4: Mechanised Tunnelling (soft ground TBMs, hard rock TBMs)
For Wednesday afternoon, 7 Sep
- Track 1: M&E, and then Shafts
- Track 2: Tunnelling in Copenhagen, and then Planning
- Track 3: Geology & Geotechnics (design, investigations/characterisation)
- Track 4: Occupational H&S, and then Mechanised Tunnelling (segments)
TECHNICAL TOURS
On Thursday 8 September, the day following the end of the WTC 2022 conference sessions, technical tours are to be available to two sites of current tunnelling interest in Denmark. These tours are to:
1) the main construction yard for record-breaking Fehmarn immersed tube project, which is a road and rail tunnel that is to link Denmark and Germany by the end of the decade. The world’s largest immersed tube precasting factory is being erected at the yard, which also involves creation of production lines, drydocks and a harbour. But that will not be the end of the matter for the massive construction yard in future; and,
2) part of Copenhagen metro (M4 Sydhavn branch line), which includes 4.5km of twin tunnel, five underground stations, two crossovers, and one cross passage developed by Metroselskabet. Excavations are complete and fit-out is underway. The briefings for the project will also be able to give background on how the wider network has been expanding over the last decade, principally with the relatively recently completed and opened massive Cityringen (Circle Line), to serve the capital’s strategic location between Continental Europe and the rest of Scandinavia.
DANISH INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN 2035
Beyond the gargantuan and extended needs of the Fehmarn project, the precasting factory will live on. It is to continue in service to support other, future, major construction projects, such as another immersed tube tunnel already being planned – the planned Harbour Tunnel (East Ring Road), in Copenhagen, which is needed to reduce city traffic as well as connect with Lynetteholm.
Another immersed tube tunnel is planned, but sooner, while factory casting for Fehmarn is still underway – construction of the approximately 2km long Third Connection across Limfjord, works commencing in 2025 for completion after eight years.
To be built even sooner (2022-24), and also at about 2km in length, is yet another immersed tube tunnel for Denmark – to run below Marselis Bouleward to connect the harbour to E45 highway.
These are examples of tunnel projects that are part of the national Infrastructure Plan 2035, announced a year ago. The aim is to reduce congestion, strengthen public transport in both road and rail, and cycling (a hugely important part of Danish culture), and to create conditions for a smooth transition to green modes of travel – the sustainability strategy, again.
In addition, in taking the long view, the country also envisages building a new island at Copenhagen harbour and which will also be integral to future flood defences for the capital.
Copenhagen is a construction hot-spot.
