Risk analysis-driven design in tunnelling: the state-of-the-art, learnt from past experiences, and horizon for future development

Abstract

Risk management became an integral part of most underground construction projects during the late 1990s, also considering the increasing requests in term of safety, and environmental and socio-economic sustainability coming from citizens, owners, lenders, and insurers. The application of risk management procedures, today widely applied, ensures that design’s team efforts can be concentrated in critical areas, focusing the project team’s attention on actions and resources where there is a major risk exposure, or where the greatest time/cost savings can be made through appropriate engineering solutions. Risk Management not solely is intended as a tool for risk avoidance and mitigation, but also as a means to value creation, ameliorating the overall project. Some authors introduced in the last year the concept of risk analysis-driven design. Early risks identification ensures a proactive project improvement, where problems are reduced as they are identified, as differentiated from the traditional approach to construction, which waits until critical problems develop and then implements responses. The present paper gives a thorough overview of the references and experiences in the current practices, what is missing or weak, the developments—possible and necessary—that might have a key role in implementing Risk Management effectively, particularly considering the design phases.