71 international underground construction projects to rethink global urban planning in competition for ITA Tunnelling Awards 2019

The ITA Tunnelling Awards 2019 is a high-skilled competition, receiving entries from all over the world through 8 categories covering all the activities of the global tunnelling industry and rewarding one young tunneller under 30 years old. One Lifetime Achievement.

Global demographic growth leads cities to rethink their urban planning in order to free space in surface. Recently, Han Admiraal and Antonia Cornaro, co-chairs of ITACUS committee have expressed a survival warning “The only way is down!” to alert public authorities on the benefits of using underground spaces. Throughout the world, innovative projects and technologies are emerging to take up this challenge, such as underground farms, underground pedestrian highways, sustainable lightning solutions…Since 2015, the international competition “the ITA Tunnelling Awards” seeks to reward the most ground-breaking innovations and outstanding projects in tunnelling and underground space use.

The 2019 edition will take place on 18-20 November, in Miami at the occasion of the 8^thCutting Edge conference organized by UCA of SME together with Tunnelling Journal.

71 candidacies have been submitted from 24 countries for the ITA Tunnelling Awards 2019

8 CATEGORIES…

• Major Project of the Year – over 500€ million : 8 entries
• Project of the Year – between €50 million and €500 million : 18 entries
• Project of the Year including renovation – (up to €50 million) : 8 entries
• Technical Project Innovation of the Year : 8 entries
• Technical Product or Equipment innovation of the Year : 8 entries
• Innovative Underground Space Concept of the Year : 4 entries
• Safety Initiative of the Year : 6 entries
• Young Tunneller of the Year : 10 candidates

…71 INTERNATIONAL SUBMISSIONS

• China : 22 entries
• USA : 13 entries
• India : 5 entries
• Europe : 15 entries
• Asia (without China and India) : 7 entries
• Australia: 3 entries

6 other candidacies were also received from Russia, Egypt, Algeria or Mexico.