World Tunnel Congress 2022 – Prof. Arnold Dix elected ITA President
On 7 September, Professor Arnold Dix has been elected as the new President of the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA-AITES) during the ITA’s 48th General Assembly held in Copenhagen. He succeeds Jenny (Jinxiu) Yan from China. Arnold Dix is a Professor of Engineering a scientist and a barrister. The new president has been Vice-President of the ITA since 2019. He has been tutor of ITA COSUF and participated in two ITA working groups focusing on safety and maintenance in undergrounds works.
After a three-year break, the industry could meet again in September 2022 for the World Tunnel Congress – this time at the Bella Center in the Danish capital Copenhagen
Credit/Quelle: Klostermeier
Sustainability Concepts for the Tunnelling Industry
The ITA President‘s agenda for the next three years coincides with the main theme of this year‘s Congress: sustainability in the underground construction industry. As a strong advocate of climate action, he will continue the work started by Jenny Yan during her tenure and find ways for the industry to better implement environmental efficiency in the international tunnelling industry. In addition, the interconnected social, economic and environmental benefits will be communicated through contemporary concepts and clear and inclusive communication within the ITA as well as to the outside.
Arnold Dix (Australia) was elected by the General Assembly to succeed Jenny Yan (China) as ITA President until 2025
Credit/Quelle: Klostermeier
Arnold Dix has expertise in several complex areas: legal, political, ethical and technical risks and also environmental risks related to underground construction.
“ITA is accelerating its response to climate change and sustainability challenges through publications, communication and teaching, product development and collaborative programmes. We are creating the world‘s first sustainability indexing tool specifically for the underground and we are even creating a new type of contract. We are not only promoting the benefits of underground solutions to many of humanity‘s most pressing social, economic and environmental challenges – we are also creating the legal and administrative tools to make this happen in an even more sustainable way,” explains Arnold Dix.
Arnold Dix is an advisor for construction, including design concept review, commissioning, procedures and operational readiness with a special expertise on the underground, construction safety, operational safety, operations, environment, refurbishment and security. Qualified as a counselor and a scientist, Arnold Dix is a lawman registered as Barrister of the High Court of Australia. His path led him to engineering and underground construction world with multiple subtopics such as environment, science, law, ethics, security, climatic changes and managing of disasters.
Election of ITA Executive Council
The 48th General Assembly also elected a new Executive Council in Copenhagen:
Arnold Dix, Australia, President (2022–2025)
Jenny (Jinxiu) Yan, China, Past President and correspondent WTC 2024 (2022–2025)
Andres Marulanda, Colombia, First Vice-President (2022–2025)
Hangseok Choi, Korea, Vice-President (2022–2025)
Jamal Rostami, Iran, Vice-President (2022–2025)
Sindre Log, Norway, Member (2022–2025)
Damian McGirr, United Kingdom, Member (2022–2025)
Monika Mitej-Czajewska, Poland, Member (2022–2025)
Andrea Pigorini, Italy, Member (2022–2025)
Klaus Rieker, Germany, Member (2022–2025)
Sanja Zlatanic, USA, Member (2022–2025)
Gérard Seingre, Switzerland, Treasurer (2022–2025)
Ioannis Fikiris, Greece, correspondent WTC 2023 (2021–2023)
Thomas Dalmalm, Sweden, correspondent WTC 2025 (2022–2025)
In addition, a new Governance Councile was elected:
Bill Newns, New Zealand (2022–2024)
Leslie Pakianathan, Singapore (2022–2024)
Opening Day: The Muir Wood Lecture 2022, titled “Wet-Mix Sprayed Concrete: A Modern Support Method in Tunnelling and Mining”, was presented by Tom Melbye
Credit/Quelle: Klostermeier
The WTC 2022 trade exhibition in Copenhagen, part 1: A spacious, daylight-filled hall with plenty of visitor traffic ensured satisfaction among exhibitors
Credit/Quelle: Klostermeier
The WTC 2022 trade exhibition, part 2: The exhibitors were not so happy here – the second exhibition area was dark and cut off from the busy traffic in the large main hall
Credit/Quelle: Klostermeier
World Tunnel Congress 2025 in Stockholm
Lastly, the host country for the World Tunnel Congress 2025 was also elected during the General Assembly: The Swedish city of Stockholm will welcome the participants in 2025. There are two competitors for hosting the WTC 2026: South Africa with Cape Town and Canada with Montreal.
The next World Tunnel Congress will already take place in May 2023. Everything you need to know about the WTC in Athens, Greece, can be found on the website below.
