Before the 4th Annual Tunnel Design & Construction Summit, we had the opportunity to interview the chairman, Fathi Tarada. Fathi is the Managing Director with Mosen Ltd and chaired the last edition of this summit, so it was our pleasure to catch up with him before this year’s edition. In our interview, he shares his experience in the industry, discusses recent challenges and exciting innovations, as well as, what he expects from the summit. Let's see what he has to say:
Could you tell us more about your professional background & your area of interest in tunnel design or construction?
- Over 30 years experience with tunnel design and construction
- My first job after leaving university was on tunnel design, with a major engineering consultancy in London
- Involved in some of the largest tunnel projects in the world, including the Gotthard and Loetschberg Tunnels in Switzerland, and more recently with Crossrail and HS2, UK
- Focusing on tunnel safety, ventilation, passive fire protection, and operations
- International experience, including in the UK, mainland Europe, Middle East, Asia and Australia
- Research into energy-efficient and sustainable tunnel ventilation and fire suppression systems
What are the biggest challenges that you see in the industry right now?
- Infrastructure project funding issues as governments face large fiscal deficits
- Supply and logistics problems as we exit the pandemic – competition with other demands on the supply chain
- Skills shortage in tunnel design and construction
What are some of the latest underground construction trends/technologies that you are excited about?
- Sustainability and carbon reduction – through innovative designs, for example through reduced concrete and steel use, while maintaining sufficient strength through structural modelling.
- Digitalization of all aspects of tunnel design, construction and operations, through BIM – Building Information Modelling, asset information modelling and associated technologies
- Integrated underground transport hubs, incorporating multiple tunnels, car parks, underground bus and metro stations.
- Very long tunnels, such as the 18 km Fehmarnbelt Tunnel (road and rail tunnel) between Germany and Denmark, are under construction and pose significant engineering challenges.
You have joined us for previous editions in the past. What do you expect this year from the 4th Annual Tunnel Design & Construction Summit?
- After the long COVID break, expectations are high for the next tunnel design and construction summit, and the line-up of speakers suggests that this event will not disappoint.
- There will be interesting presentations on innovative and cost-saving construction techniques, an update on the progress on major projects worldwide, and the latest on tunnel safety analysis.
- I am delighted to chair this event and look forward to meeting as many of the attendees as possible.
We can’t wait to connect with Mr. Tarada more during the summit and look forward to his fantastic moderation. To learn more about the 4th Annual Tunnel Design & Construction Summit, request your free brochure! Then register today to join Fathi and other industry experts in two exciting days of knowledge sharing and valuable networking.
