Preface

In this volume, a selection of chapters covers a wide range of tunneling engineering topics. The scope was to present reviews of established methods and new approaches in construction practice and digital technology tools like building information modeling (BIM).

Site investigation methods and geological aspects of rock mass behavior to define the critical failure mechanisms are the subjects of two chapters in the first section of the volume. Analysis and design topics of tunnels are the subjects of the second section. Computational methods of analysis and an in-depth presentation of designing tunnels in the whole spectrum of shallow to deep tunnels are covered in three chapters. In the following section, new methods and challenges in tunnel construction are discussed. The first of this section examines tunnel–structure interaction challenges posed by transit-oriented development projects, which are a new topic in designing contemporary and future city and metro systems. The chapter covers in detail all the aspects of designing and analyzing the project through the use of BIM and monitoring techniques. Methods to improve the seismic response of tunnels and innovations of multigallery and multifloor tunnel sections to improve safety and reduce cost are the subjects of the next chapter in the section. The section ends with a chapter on immerse tunnels covering details of design and construction with an emphasis on the presentation of designing submerged floating tunnels. The last section is devoted to new trends in designing a tunnel based on digital construction strategies and advanced computational tools. The first chapter presents digital tools from BIM to artificial intelligence and discusses the major changes in the construction industry with an emphasis on tunneling. BIM is presented in great detail in the last chapter with an insight into future developments.

> **Michael Sakellariou** National Technical University of Athens, Greece

Section 1
