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Arabian Tunnelling Conference 2014 Officially Open For Abstracts |
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Building on the success of its debut edition last year, the Arabian Tunnelling Conference will take place this year on the 9th and 10th December at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, against the backdrop of a significant amount of underground infrastructure projects taking place in the UAE and the region. Organized by the Society of Engineers -UAE (SOE-UAE) in collaboration with the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA), the region’s foremost tunnelling and underground space development event will be held under the theme of ‘Managing Sustainable Tunnels’. The conference will feature a two-day scientific program focusing on sustainable microtunelling, the techniques, latest developments and current and future challenges. It will also include an exhibition where local and international organizations can showcase the latest technologies, innovations, products and services for use in the underground space development for the transportation systems, energy, water, and telecommunications sectors. The Call for Abstracts is now open until the 15th October 2014. Abstracts for oral and poster presentations are being solicited from Government entities, consultants, architects, designers, engineers, developers and project management companies, and will include observational, modelling and conceptual studies. His Excellency Engr. Essa Al Maidoor, President of the SOE-UAE, said: “Sustainable underground space utilization is where the future lies for the construction industry. We are delighted to host this important regional meeting, which emphasizes the growing scope and demand of expertise in the tunnelling industry across the region.” Papers that are accepted by the conference will be subject to peer review and the selection criteria include relevance to the conference theme, accuracy and originality of ideas, significance of the contribution and quality of presentation. Last year, the conference welcomed 600 delegates from 50 countries, 150 students from national and international engineering universities, with 70 research papers being presented and 30 companies exhibiting for best practices in tunnelling. The two-day event is the only event of its kind in the region, making it the essential meeting point for tunnelling professionals involved in the design, management and maintenance of today's tunnelling and underground infrastructure. The 2014 scientific committee consists of engineers from multidisciplinary professions, scientists and educators working in Road & Transport Authority, ADMA –OPCO, BASF – The Chemical Company, Green Building Engineering Consultant, Command of Military Works, Gulf Rock Engineering Group, Sharjah Road & Transport Authority, American University in Dubai, Dubai Technology and Free Zone Authority, International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA) and Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA). Current Regional Projects Tunnelling in the GCC region is fast developing and has great potential for further growth. Current projects in the UAE alone include the Abu Dhabi STEP (Strategic Tunnel Enhancement Program), Etihad Rail and the Abu Dhabi road tunnels and flyovers project (which involves three road tunnels and two flyovers improving road access to Port Zayed). These along with on-going tunneling works in the emirate of Sharjah as well as the planned Abu Dhabi Metro create a perfect setting for a congregation of experts from around the globe, to improve upon the already high standards being set in the GCC. Looking further around the region, major projects include metro plans for Riyadh, Kuwait and Doha. The scale of these projects is vast. Kuwait alone is worth a reported USD 7 billion; the project aims to begin building a total of 160 km of metro rail in 2013. Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA) is heading the project to build a six-line driverless network which will eventually incorporate 96 stations and 177km in the Saudi capital. Furthermore, there are plans to build metro’s in Baghdad and extend the Cairo and Tehran metro’s. Other non-rail Tunnelling projects include the Al-Hayer wastewater converter, which will encompass two 37 km wastewater tunnels in KSA and the inner Doha re-sewerage scheme. A number of different methods will be used to carry out the aforementioned projects including the use of TBM’s (Tunnel Boring Machines), cut and cover, drill and blast and immersed tubes. Plans are also going ahead for a 38.7km undersea rail link from Spain to Morocco.
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