Underground Construction Challenges in Urban Areas

Mariela Angeles

Urbanisation presents geotechnical engineers with the challenge to build safe and sustainable infrastructure where the available construction space above and below ground is becoming more and more congested.

Such is the case for Singapore, where for example most of the upcoming extensions of the railway lines into the city centre are planned to run underground. This presentation will cover the engineering assessment methodologies typically followed in Singapore, to assess and manage the impact of excavations and tunnelling on adjacent infrastructure and buildings. Some examples from recently completed underground spaces will be presented, with discussions around key design and construction challenges and how predictions compared to actual performance on site.

About the speaker

Mariela Angeles Associate Principal, Arup Singapore Geotechnical Team Lead

Mariela Angeles is a Chartered Engineer (ICE) with 20 years’ experience focused in the field of Geotechnical Engineering. She has worked for large engineering consultancies in Peru, Australia, United Kingdom and Singapore. Her technical expertise relates to complex underground works across all phases of infrastructure delivery, from planning and conceptual studies, to detailed design and construction. Example projects include the Thomson East MRT Line, Ayer Merbau Reclamation project in Singapore, and the Port of Barcelona in Spain.

Mariela currently leads the Arup’s Geotechnical team in Singapore and is responsible for delivering a broad range of consultancy services across the SEA region.

Engineers Australia members participating in AGS technical sessions can record attendance on their personal CPD logs. Members should refer to Engineers Australia CPD policy for details on CPD types, requirements and auditing guidelines.