Cambridge Philosophical Society Lecture Series: 'Urban tunneling - the challenges of creating underground space in historic cities'

'Urban tunneling - the challenges of creating underground space in historic cities'

Professor Giulia Viggiani

8 November 2021, 18:30 – 19:30, Bristol-Myers Squibb Lecture Theatre

Contracts T2 and T3 of the new Line C of Roma underground are under construction in the historical centre of the city, in an area of great archaeological, historical and artistic value. Significant problems connected to the presence of archaeological remnants, the geotechnical characteristics of the soil, excavation below the water table, and the necessity of minimising the effects on the historical and monumental heritage subsist. This presentation illustrates the methods adopted to evaluate the effects of tunnelling and open excavation on the existing monuments and historical buildings, with particular reference to contract T2.

Giulia Viggiani is Professor of Infrastructure Geotechnics in the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge. Her research focuses on the applications of soil mechanics to geotechnical engineering, and deals mainly with underground construction, foundation engineering, and earthquake geotechnical engineering.