Finding more underground alternatives
In addition, the wise use of underground space for applications that are largely unfamiliar today is likely to become at least as significant an issue. The challenge for our and future generations is to find alternatives to compensate for the increasingly scarce surface space underground.
Unusual uses and multiple uses of tunnels
Tunnels can be much more than simple underground tubes for cars, trucks and railroads. In addition to uses for energy, telecommunications and logistics, uses as retention areas, storage and production facilities, or underground experience spaces are also moving into the center of considerations.
Thus, tunnels and underground spaces around the world are increasingly being analyzed, planned and also implemented for currently still unusual uses or multiple uses - such as in the Malaysian city of Kuala Lumpur, where a traffic tunnel is closed during heavy rainfall and used to drain large masses of water.
Using expertise from the past for the future
According to leading researchers and tunnel engineers in Switzerland and Europe, there are hardly any technical limits to tunnel construction: The experts are convinced that almost any tunnel is technically feasible today, even if the geological conditions are difficult and the technical challenges for the construction experts are exceptionally great. One example of this is the Stockholm "Sofia" metro station 100 meters subway, which Implenia is building by 2025. It is one of the deepest subway stations in the world. With a wealth of experience of over 100 years in tunnel construction, Implenia also wants to shape future uses.
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CONCRETE: Underground Farming
In the Hagerbach experimental tunnel, the Scout Association grows, cultivates and harvests specific plant foods underground. This approach, which is still unusual for our society, could play an essential role in supplying urban areas in the coming years and decades.
