In the lecture entitled “What could possibly go wrong? …greenwashing and other things”, Allen will outline his 50 years in the construction industry and discuss the causes of errors in the tunnelling sector, including a lack of engineering judgment.
With 60-80% of embodied carbon contained in the shaft and tunnel linings of a tunnelling project, he will emphasise the urgent need to decarbonise concrete linings and question the current assumption that shotcrete final linings are beneficial for carbon reduction. He will also address the often-overlooked issue of sewer tunnel lining deterioration caused by biogenic corrosion, presenting testing results and potential concrete solutions.
Allen will also discuss developments in geopolymer concrete, its use in the UK, and the publication of BSI Flex 350, the Code of Practice for Alternative Binder Systems for Lower Carbon Concrete.
Allen is a specialist in concrete engineering and construction materials, including the use of concrete for civil, building and tunnelling applications.
After working in the construction chemicals industry in Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai, in 2000 he was appointed managing director of the International Centre for Geotechnics and Underground Construction in Zurich, a foundation responsible for the training and qualification of staff for tunnelling projects.
More recently, Allen has been a consultant to organisations in the civil engineering and tunnelling sectors and has recently been advising joint venture contractors on the Deep Tunnel Sewer System, Phase 2 project in Singapore; the Central Interceptor Tunnel in Auckland, New Zealand; the Sydney Metro to West Sydney Airport railway, Australia; and Thames Tideway.
He is a fellow of the Concrete Society and a member of the Institute of Concrete Technology.
The hybrid event will be held at 18:00 (GMT) at the Institution of Civil Engineers, One Great George St, London SW1P 3AA, and also online.
To register for your free place click here
