Muir Wood lecture 2010 is on line
This lecture is ITA's new initiative to celebrate the memory of our Founding President Sir Alan Muir Wood.
In Budapest last year we paid tribute to the memory of Sir Alan following his death earlier in 2009. His son Professor David Muir Wood was there to share the occasion and today David is with us again as we hold the first ITA Muir Wood Lecture here in Vancouver.
Our criteria for selecting the Muir Wood lecture was that a person of international standing in the global tunnelling profession should represent the "spirit" of Sir Alan and the topic of the lecture should discuss fundamental issues that challenge our industry and discuss principles and substance that were always the basis of Sir Alan's thinking and approach to Engineering.
Alan wrote a paper for the UK Royal Academy of Engineering called "Tunnel Vision".
I recommend that everyone takes time to read it. It is a well ordered stream of consciousness that will resonate with Engineers of any discipline—not just Tunnellers.
Before introducing our Muir Wood Lecturer let me share two quotes from Sir Alans Tunnel Vision paper.
Economy and efficiency would be served by freeing the contractor from the need to carry responsibility for incalculable risks beyond his control ,by the use of such features as `reference conditions ` which set clear limits on physical features, usually based on characteristics of the ground ,that fall within the contractor's liabilities.
A tunnel is a long cylindrical hole through ground in a state of plane strain with a geologist at one end and group of lawyers at the other—yet more dire is the present day phenomenon of lawyers at each end .
This is very much the subject of tomorrows Open Session on the Ground Reference Conditions for tunnel projects .
It gives me great pleasure to introduce our inaugural Muir Wood Speaker Professor Einar Broch –a Past President of ITA and close friend of Sir Alan,
Einar needs little introduction to the ITA world but He is Professor of Geological Engineering. Advisor to tunnelling and underground projects in 15 countries, particularly hydropower projects. President of International Tunnelling Association between 1986 and 1989. Senior Editor of "Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology". Associate Editor of "Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering". Member of Panel of Experts and Dispute Review Boards for several international projects. Author of more than 100 papers. Member of the Norwegian Academy of Technical Sciences.
Professor Broch, Einar, I `ve known you for sometime and in addition to you being an inspiration to your academic colleagues and students in Trondheim and Norway your papers and lecturers have been a source of reference around the world.
Its an honour to introduce you as a celebrated Engineer, teacher and friend. You are indeed an example of the spirit of the Sir Alan.
Martin C. Knights - ITA President
Download the Muir Wood Lecture given by Prof EInar Broch : "TUNNELS AND UNDERGROUND WORKS FOR HYDROPOWER PROJECTS, - lessons learned in home country and from projects worldwide."