ITA | INSIGHT
The special purpose committee is tasked with
delivering the first underground specific guidance document for projects aimed at empowering clients to deliver better projects from a sustainability perspective in accordance with the current United Nations (UN) priorities. This overarching committee is headed by Tommy
Olsen and comprizes members drawn from all Working Groups and Member Nations on an opt-in basis. To achieve this stretch target of deliverables with little more than half a year to go now, the Committee is divided into 4 groups, each with tasks, as follows: ● Task A – an underground specific BREEAM module, the work headed by Goetz Vollmann;
● Task B – Optioneering for superior project choices, headed by Giuseppe Gaspari;
● Task C – An overview of current international sustainability rating frameworks, headed by Nikolai Bobylev; and,
● Task D – Equity, Diversion and Inclusion tools to deliver social and economic benefits, headed by Nasri Munfah
The special purpose committee on sustainability that reports directly to me and the Executive Council and is also working with experts from external organizations such as BRE, and NEC, as well as other organizations globally. These external stakeholders have agreed to work with the ITA to produce the world’s first underground specific sustainability indexing tools, guidelines, optioneering frameworks, and social indexing tools. I hold regular meetings with the heads of the other
organizations to discuss progress and ensure there are no roadblocks. Our next heads meeting will be in London in September. All four outputs will be coordinated into a
central advisory publication for clients and the global underground industry. It is anticipated that this publication will form the framework for future elaborations on this increasingly critical subject. In the short term, we expect the guidelines to be
produced in 2024 – by WTC in China – and that they will be ready for inclusion in existing tools used by the tunneling industry, such as conditions of contracts and indexing tools like BREEAM. In combination, we expect these to constitute the
world’s first guide for clients on how they can actually select and implement the ‘best’ overall project options from a UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) perspective and not have choices left to be simply about lowest cost.
MORE COLLABORATIONS AND OUTREACH The relevance of the ITA is being further strengthened with new initiatives and more collaborations with external bodies. In addition to those mentioned earlier such as
the World Bank, PIARC and IAEA, we have new collaborations with: the International Commission on
Large Dams (ICOLD), the European Centre for Nuclear Research (CERN), the National Fire Protection Association USA (NFPA), the International Water Federation (IWF), the International Road Federation and International Road Federation Global, and the Associated Research Centres for the Urban Underground Space (ACUUS). Each of these bodies have had multiple in-person
meetings with us, and support for their events and initiatives through ITA over the last year and these intensive interactions are accelerating ITA’s position and global influence. Our intensive outreach program has also resulted in
new collaborations with no precedent in their focus related to underground space, such as, for example, with the IAEA on the development of its underground nuclear waste storage guidelines. This collaboration emerged after my attendance at a Czech nuclear waste storage facility and following longstanding and great support from Dan Garbutt. As was foreshadowed, the ITA with the International
Association of Engineering Insurers (IMIA) have jointly reviewed and updated the code of practice for insurance of tunneling, and this was published earlier this year: the 3rd edition for Code of Practice for Risk Management of Tunnel Works. Over the last year, I have attempted to develop and
nurture a social media presence to promote the benefits of the underground and ITA. This focus has seen a wonderful and positive response to our underground endeavours. On LinkedIn alone I have now received more than a million hits and the general feedback is that this social media initiative is having a positive effect on our members and the image of the underground. Thomas Dalmalm heads our new ‘by invitation’ forum
for owners of infrastructure project assets (Project Owners Forum), which has been a huge success – providing a trusted and safe environment for clients to discuss matters of international interest. At this stage, membership extends from clients with transport assets such as metros and road tunnels, to those involved with energy (generation, deep physics experiments, and nuclear waste repositories). It is likely that this forum will split into subgroups of special interest as global client membership increases. The focus on ITA maintaining technical excellence
and not descending into politics has intensified under the clear ‘One ITA’ policy. Technical excellence – from all around the world – is welcomed so long as it does not breach UN sanctions. Practically, this means presently, for instance, Russian subject matter experts are welcome – and, as noted above, Task C: An overview of current international sustainability rating frameworks – is headed by the leading world subject matter expert Nikolai Bobylev, who is Russian. More widely, though, per UN sanctions, financial exchange is not permitted. This strengthened position has seen the return of
absent Member Nations and energized our members. Happy with the new ‘One ITA’ approach, with all decisions being made on a best for ITA basis, they have returned and paid their outstanding national |
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