The development of underground space to host a variety of uses which are difficult, impractical, less profitable, or even environmentally undesirable to be installed on ground level has become a predominant practice in modern societies. The engineering community has produced a great deal of exceptional underground projects that served their purpose with an increased efficiency compared to the respective surface solutions and proved the technological capabilities of the underground construction industry. Nevertheless, there are still significant challenges to be addressed in order to further improve underground infrastructure engineering and facilitate the cost-effective and efficient construction and operation of underground spaces. This Special Issue is part of this pursuit to gather insights from a multidisciplinary scientific target group of authors that will act as a focal point for key issues to consider in underground infrastructure engineering. Topics like underground space design, lessons learned from notable cases, the integration between surface and underground space, advances in rock mechanics, novel construction approaches and support measures, value engineering, as well as experiences from the operation of such facilities in terms of maintenance, risk assessment, and overall budgeting are part of the scope of this Special Issue of Infrastructures. Finally, special attention is paid to the recent developments under the framework of Industry 4.0 which will bring on new challenges but with more novel solutions in the whole value chain of the design and construction of underground space. This Special Issue aims to bring together scientists from different fields that are willing to submit their articles on the above topics and to further promote underground space development.
Keywords: underground space development; planning and zoning of the subsurface; rock mechanics; design and support of underground excavations; risk assessment; underground engineering 4.0.