Sustainable development; Underground Construction Association
World Tunnel Congress 2016 in San Francisco (USA); more than 2 200 participants; Tarcisio Celestino, new president (2016-2019) of the International Association of Tunnels and Underground Space ITA-AITES
San Francisco, California, May 2016.- The International Association of Tunnels and Underground Space (ITA-AITES) held from 22 to 28 April 2016, its 42nd General Assembly on the occasion of World Tunnel Congress (WTC) in San Francisco (U.S).
The International Association of Tunnels and Underground Space (ITA) is a non-profit and international non-governmental organization, which aims to promote the use of underground space as a solution for sustainable development. It was founded in 1974 and operates from Lausanne, Switzerland, ITA currently associates 73 Member States, 300 affiliated members, Prime Sponsors 17 and 60 supporters.
The most anticipated tunnels international industry event was organized with the Underground Construction Association, the Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME UCA) and the Conference North Tunnel (NAT) America.
UCA is an interactive information SME community, engineers, contractors, owners and government agents with a professional interest in the underground construction industry. Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration, SME, is a professional non-profit association with over 15,000 members representing all professions serving the mineral industry in more than 100 member countries of the SME. They are engineers, geologists, metallurgists, educators, students and researchers.
The WTC 2016 presented the latest innovations in urban planning and underground construction projects in the United States and around the world, in an environment where states show a compelling need for tunnels and underground spaces for public transport exchangers subway, hydropower infrastructure, etc.,
It highlighted the sustainable and economic impact of tunnels and underground spaces within each country as well as the importance of digitization and connectivity, through different kind of technical sessions about lessons learned in tunnel projects highlights.
Tarcisio Celestino, new President (2016-2019) of the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association.
Tarcisio Celestino, from Brazil, was elected during the General Assembly of the association and revealed some points of its strategic plan for the ITA for the next three years.
Tarcisio BarretoCelestino. He graduated in Civil Engineering from the Polytechnic School of the University of Sao Paulo (1972), a master's degree in Civil Engineering - University of California, Berkeley (1978) and Doctor of Civil Engineering - University of California, Berkeley (1981).
Professor PhD from the University of Sao Paulo and manager of civil engineering - Engineering Themag, President of the Brazilian Tunnel Committee, Coordinator of the Working Group concrete designed the International Tunnelling Association and consultant to the Research Foundation of the State of Sao Paul.
Professor of the Master of Underground Works IHE-Delft, The Netherlands. He has experience in Civil Engineering with emphasis on the mechanical properties of the rocks, which acts on the following topics: Tunnels, rock mechanics, shotcrete, dams and applications of numerical methods. He has published numerous books and articles on the subject.
Awards and recognitions.
Manuel Rocha Award 2012, Brazilian Association of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering - ABMS.
2008 Tribute in recognition of the contribution to growth ABGE and Environmental Engineering and Geology in Brazil, the Brazilian Association of Engineering and Environmental Geology.
“This is a big congress, as we all know at this moment the biggest congress in ninety history and of course it could expect that beign in the United States, but on the other hand we did not see this in 1996. The congress also hear it was not so significant as it is now. So one good thing about this many good things about this congress but one of them is that being so big it how loud the number of technical sessions also to be large number and I cannot think of any important subjet in tunneling that wich has not been covered in at least one technical session.
I‘d say the major, our major role, is to increase the talon market it has been increasing but on the other hand we still see that there is a lot of demand for underground works. Things wich are still constructed on surface wich should not and this is what we should influence most, in other words the activity of why go underground use of underground space if we can improve that.
I´m very sure that all the other activities will come also with their improvements it will be a consequence good role that. I had in this sense is to influence the member nations to start because we cannot just go to a constant that directly to the government. It´s much easier if we do that throuh the member nations their role of member nations to approach government and in each country and influence and show how underground solutions are much better in some situations.
I´m very sure that the benefits of this congress will take longer to take some time to digest and have a good sense and that the results will do very good and will not feel them next month, it will something wich for the next 12 months we´re coming up.“
According to available figures, in 2014 and 2015, relative rise of global economic growth (increase of 3.1% of GDP in 2015) was presented. The trend is confirmed particularly in the United States, which last year recorded an expansion of 2.4%.
The American Society of Civil Engineers emphasized the poor state of US infrastructure in 2013, but currently is producing a positive change favored by the public authorities to promote major transport projects, networks of water distribution and telecommunications, high-speed rail or renewable energy in hydroelectric power plants reversible or across the country.
Because of the increasing scarcity of surface space, especially in urban areas, most of these facilities are built underground. Tunnels and underground spaces are of vital importance to develop energy programs and public transportation, prevent flooding or expand urban facilities.
With 250 exhibitors and more than 300 innovation sessions and presentations, the World Tunnel Congress held for the first time in 20 years, it has been the most strategic meeting of civil engineers, public authorities, suppliers and design firms related tunnels and underground space worldwide.
The WTC 2016 met once more to this matter professionals around the world and promoted the exchange of experiences and project ideas of past, present and future tunnels.
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