Underground Construction In Urban Areas – Challenges For Innovation

The paper is intended to highlight and discuss the solution to major challenges of planning underground projects in urban environments. These discussions are presented in the form of examples from the viewpoint of a practitioner, who is deeply involved in the actual design for the implementation of such projects. Infrastructure in large cities is getting denser over time. Therefore, interference with existing structures is becoming a very common feature during the implementation process of new projects. As a consequence, actual geotechnical challenges often relate to the application of innovative methods of construction in order to minimize potential construction impact or disruption. The paper wants to direct the focus on the application of unusual construction methods and related design and construction challenges.