UCD Earns ITA Tunnelling Awards

On Nov. 24, the 9th edition of ITA Tunnelling Awards（2023）was disclosed. The “prefabrication technology for underground metro station structure”, with its research and development headed by the National Engineering Research Center for Green and Safe Construction Technology in Urban Rail Transit honorably won the only award of Technical Innovation of the Year.

Seven of the 9th edition of ITA Tunnelling Awards were selected and three Chinese projects won the awards. The awards have been known as the “Oscar of the tunnelling industry”.

The prefabrication technology for underground metro station structure provides metro station construction with a brand-new industrialization model. The precast concrete is used through the technology to assemble in the on-site foundation pit like as if “blocks were built” to rapidly assemble into a tunnel structure to minimize the on-site construction activities, featuring such advantages as high quality, efficiency, safeness, greenness, environmental protection and sustainable development and demonstrating China’s strength and achievements in the field of underground space engineering technology. The technology has not only produced significant influence in China but has drawn wide attention from abroad.

The technical innovation started with the project of Changchun Subway Line 2. Up to now, the technology had been used in more than forty prefabricated subway stations built or under construction across the country, with the stations becoming the cluster of prefabricated stations largest in scale in China even around the world. Besides, the use of the technology has been expanded in other engineering fields such as highway tunnels and deep and large shafts. In the future, the R&D team will continue deepening the research to facilitate the constant improvement and application of the technology and to facilitate the further development of China’s underground space engineering technology with concerted efforts so as to contribute more Chinese wisdom and strength to global urban construction and transportation development.

International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (known as ITA) was founded in 1974, with its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. As an international academic organization in tunnelling and underground space and one being of utmost influence in the world, ITA aims to promote the application and development of global tunnelling and underground space through knowledge sharing, technological advancement and emphasis on professional ethics. From 2015 onwards, ITA has established the ITA Tunnelling Awards to commend the elites and technological achievements bringing about breakthroughs and innovations to the development of global tunnelling and underground space.