World Tunnelling Congress 2024
The 2024 World Tunnelling Congress (WTC2024), supported by the Shenzhen Municipal Government and hosted by the International Tunneling Association (ITA) and the Chinese Civil Engineering Society, was held at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center from April 19 to 25, 2024. The World Tunnelling Congress is currently the world's most influential and authoritative tunnel and underground engineering industry conference. This conference will carry out 40 special technical meetings around 15 main paper topics, arrange nearly 200 academic reports, and set up 20,000 square meters of professional exhibitions at the same time, presenting a wonderful industry event for the guests.
WTC2024
Opening Ceremony Highlights:
Opening Ceremony
On April 22, the opening ceremony of the 2024 World Tunnelling Congress was held at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center. Under the leadership of Ms. Yan Jinxiu, the former President of ITA, the theme of the conference was "Tunnels for a Better Life", showing the vision of China's tunneling industry and global partners to create a better life. At the meeting, important guests from the United Nations, the Chinese government, academia, industry associations and the International Tunneling Association delivered speeches one after another, jointly launching a feast of global tunnel engineering wisdom. The opening ceremony of the conference was full of highlights, and the roundtable forum and Muirwood's speech became the focus of attention.
(Opening Ceremony)
(More than 2,700 delegates from 65 countries attended)
(Roundtable Session)
(Arnold Dix, President of the International Tunneling Association, chaired the Muirwood speech)
01
Roundtable Forum: The Future Development Picture of the Tunnel Industry
At the roundtable forum at the opening ceremony, Andre Assis, former president of the International Association of Tunnels and Underground Space (ITA) and senior professor at the University of Brasilia, served as the moderator, and convened the world's top experts in the field of tunnelling engineering to have an in-depth dialogue and exchange on "challenges and paths for the future development of tunnelling technology".
(André Assis主持圆桌会议)
Rick P. Lovat, former First Vice Chairman of ITA and President of Lovat Tunnelling Solutions Canada, Yan Jinxiu, former Chairman of ITA and Chief Expert of China Railway Research Institute, Francois Renault, Director of Tunnel Technology of Vinci Construction Grands Projects, France, and Giuseppe, former Vice Chairman of ITA and CEO of Rocksoil S.P.A. in Italy Lunardi, Wojciech Mleczko, Jacobs Bridge and Tunnel Engineer in Poland, and Goh Kok Hun, Director of Infrastructure Design & Engineering LTA in Singapore, six tunnel experts from different countries and different subdivisions discussed in depth the common challenges faced by the global tunneling industry around the future development trend of tunnel technology, and jointly explored the challenges that adapt to future urban development. Environmental protection requirements and new paths of tunnel engineering technology for scientific and technological progress. Through high-level dialogues and exchanges, the forum provides a certain practical orientation for the future development of global tunnelling engineering technology.
（Rick P. Lovat发言）
(Yan Jinxiu speaks)
(François Renault发言)
(Giuseppe Lunardi发言)
(Wojciech Mleczko发言)
(Goh Kok Hun发言)
02
Muirwood Speech & Keynote:
Strategic guidelines for exploring underground space resources
In 2009, the ITA established the Muirwood Lecture to commemorate the contribution of the first President of the International Tunneling Association, Alan Muir Wood.
Muirwood's speech at this year's Tunnelling Conference was given by Priscilla Murphy of the Colorado School of Mines. Dr. P. Nelson was the keynote speaker. In the face of many global challenges such as population growth, urban expansion, and resource and environmental pressures, she discussed in depth the key role of underground resources in addressing climate change, urban resilience, and resource recycling. The presentation covered the potential of underground solutions to solve global problems and seize development opportunities, as well as how to promote urban sustainability in the context of ESG. At the same time, the lecture discussed the possibility of using new construction methods and materials to achieve zero carbon and zero waste goals, as well as the use of underground space to store critical mineral resources and energy transition.
(Priscilla S. Dr. P. Nelson gives a Muirwood lecture)
At present, technological innovation in the field of tunnel engineering is advancing at an unprecedented speed, gradually moving from digital construction to a new stage of intelligent construction. In his subsequent keynote speech, Professor Zhu Hehua, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, deeply sorted out the current situation and development prospects of intelligent tunnel construction, and highlighted the determination of the field to build high-quality tunnels with resilient, intelligent, green and humanistic characteristics.
(Zhu Hehua made a keynote speech)
Muirwood's speech and keynote speech provided valuable guidance and forward-looking thinking for the current development of the tunnel and underground engineering industry from different dimensions, which not only emphasized how the industry should comply with the global trend of sustainable development and rationally use underground resources, but also put forward specific technical paths and development strategies, and encouraged industry practitioners to continue to innovate and practice, so as to promote the evolution of the entire tunnel and underground engineering industry to a higher level and more sustainable direction.
Next, the conference will also hold various group meetings and technical meetings around different themes, and nearly 200 academic reports will be staged in turn, which is not only a feast of knowledge, but also a major review of the global tunnel engineering technical force. More than 2,700 elite representatives from 65 countries took this platform to share experiences, exchange ideas, and jointly promote the scientific and technological innovation, transformation and upgrading of the global tunnel engineering industry.
For more information, please visit the official website
https://wtc2024.cn/