Underground infrastructure refers to any physical infrastructure that is placed beneath the surface. The space created below the ground surface. Underground space is available almost everywhere, which may provide the site for activities or infrastructure that are difficult or impossible to install aboveground or whose presence aboveground is unacceptable or undesirable. Another fundamental characteristic of underground space lies in the natural protection it offers to whatever is placed underground. This protection is simultaneously mechanical, thermal, acoustic, and hydraulic (i.e., watertight). It is effective not only in relation to the surface, but also within the underground space itself. Thus underground infrastructure offers great safety against all natural disasters and nuclear wars, ultraviolet rays from holes in the ozone layer, global warming, electromagnetic pollution, and massive solar storms. Increasing population and the developing needs and aspirations of humankind for our living environment require increasing provision of space of all kinds. This has become a high priority for most “mega cities” since the closing years of the 20th century. The world’s population is becoming more urbanized, at an unprecedented pace. In different countries, various facilities have been built underground. These facilities include: ● Underground parking space ● Rail and road tunnels ● Sewage treatment plants ● Garbage incineration plants ● Underground mass rapid transport systems, popularly known as “underground metro” ● Underground oil storage and supply systems (through pipelines in tunnels) ● Underground cold storage ● Hydroelectric projects with extensive use of underground caverns and tunnels In the primitive ages, beginning roughly three million years ago, from the time human beings first existed on earth to the Neolithic age of approximately 3000 B.C., underground space was used in the form of cave dwellings so that people could protect themselves from the threats posed by natural (primarily climatic) hazards. The world’s biggest cave is 207 m high and 152 m wide in a Vietnam forest. This Hang Son Doong cave is larger than the Dear cave in Sarawak, Malaysia, which is more than 100 m high and 90 m wide. Following this period, in ancient times from roughly 3000 B.C. to A.D. 500, which spanned the civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome, technology employed in the construction of tunnels progressed considerably. The earliest examples of underground structures in India were in the form of dwelling pits cut into the compacted loess deposits in Kashmir around 3000 and 500 B.C. This was brought to light by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) during excavations in 1960. These pit houses were found to provide excellent protection against cold and severe winter weather as well as the heat of summer. They also offered protection against external attack. Dwellings dating back to 1600 B.C. were also noted at Nagarjuna Konda in Andhra

1. INTRODUCTION TO UNDERGROUND STRUCTURES
BUILDING STRUCTURES –VI

2. Introduction
Underground infrastructure refers to
any physical infrastructure that is
placed beneath the surface.
The space created below the
ground surface
Underground space may either be developed by:
• Open excavation in soft strata or soil, the top of which is subsequently covered to get the space
below, or
• Created by excavation in hard strata or rock.
Area of Use:
• Underground space is available almost everywhere, which may provide the site for activities or
infrastructure that are difficult or impossible to install aboveground or whose presence aboveground
is unacceptable or undesirable.
• Underground location of structures is advisable in regions with such unfavorable climatic conditions
and it offeres great safety against natural disasters.

3. Necessity and need…..??
Increase in
population
Developing
needs
Increasing
provision for
space
Megacities
Sustainable
development
▪ Local priorities
▪ Economic circumstance
▪ Environmental consideration
▪ Future development
Palika Bazar, an underground
market in New Delhi, India.
In Shanghai, China, more than 2
million m2 of subsurface space
has been developed as
underground buildings for various
uses since modernization in 1980.
A Gaussian distribution curve represents a
typical urban space use configuration, whereas
an inverted dome distribution curve represents
the goal of planning of urban space use

4. ❑ Underground parking space
❑ Rail and road tunnels
❑ Sewage treatment plants
❑ Garbage incineration plants
❑ Underground mass rapid transport systems, popularly known as “underground metro”
❑ Underground oil storage and supply systems (through pipelines in tunnels)
❑ Underground cold storage
❑ Hydroelectric projects with extensive use of underground caverns and tunnels
Various underground infrastructure
Residential Non-residential Infrastructure Military
People oriented
use
Single family
Multiple family
Religious,
Recreational,
Institutional,
Commercial
Transportation of
passengers
Civil defence
Product oriented
use
- Industrial, Parking,
Storage,
Agriculture
Transportations of
goods, Utilities,
Energy, Disposal,
Mines
Military facilities
Categories and Sub categories

5. Classification by depth
Important considerations
❑ Geological
• Geology controls the landforms and hence the geometry of any site, as rock forms the
construction material. The method of construction, duration, and hence final cost depend on the
stability and workability of the ground.
• For example, a surface lying directly on bedrock provide better foundations together with better
opportunities for the use of underground space.
• One of the most important factors is the strength of the soil or rock mass into which underground
structures are excavated. Shallow underground structures can be constructed in soil or highly
weathered rock using cut-and-cover construction.
• Strong rock with uniform physical properties is the preferred choice for underground construction

6. ❑ Engineering
• Underground structures must maintain stability of the surrounding geological environment. In some
cases the ground can be self-supporting up to certain span limitations.
• Engineering geologists and civil engineers commonly describe the physical quality of rock using a
simple parameter known as the rock quality designation (RQD).
❑ Psychological and Physiological
• Negative associations with underground space generally include darkness combined with humid,
stale air, and no sunlight
• Physiological concerns with the underground focus primarily on the lack of natural light and poor
ventilation.

7. Advantages of underground structures
• Potential physical benefits
• Protection from noise, vibration, explosion, fallout etc
• Security
• Environmental advantages
• Energy use
• Initial/Land cost savings, Construction cost savings
• Land use efficiency
Drawbacks of underground structures
• Physical
• Climate isolation
• Communication
• Human Occupancy
• Safety
• Ventilation
• Economic considerations

8. Survey and design
• Literature search, remote sensing and surface scanning
• Physical exploration, boring and in situ test
• Investigating underground water, structure, and discontinuous bedrock
• Bedrock modelling and use of in situ test data
• Optimum space selection
Construction and Execution
• Construction, drilling, waste soil disposal, and treating the area near drilling
• Maintenance, coating, draining, and management
• Maintaining good working conditions
Operations and control technology
• Risk management
• Air conditioning, ventilation, water supply etc
• Maintenance
Various Stages involved in Underground development

9. Underground Parking Design
Construction of underground parking facilities has
increasingly drawn attention as a solution for parking
problems in urban areas.
To date, underground parking has been constructed in
conjunction with underground shopping malls, companies,
residential units.
Types of parking
facilities
Surface structures
Above ground
structures
Underground
structures
Mechanized
Non-
Mechanized

10. Modern Mechanical Underground Parking Options
❑ Trevipark System
• Trevipark offers cost-effective, fully automatic,
unmanned underground or aboveground car parking
system solutions, particularly for tight sites in urban
areas where space is at a premium.
• The car park is fully computer controlled from within
the silo, requiring no permanent operatives or
attendants, and conforms fully to ISO 9001/2
standards and European safety regulations
A standard silo can accommodate a
maximum of 108 cars in 441 m²
(ground surface area), that is, 21 ×
21 m; the car park can be built on
completion using the car parking
structure as part of the foundations

11. ❑ Douskos Car parks
• The invention refers to mechanical underground car parks and parking station systems that are
constructed under the surface of streets, pedestrian areas, and other public areas.
• Existing other mechanical car parks, automated parking station systems, and those of traditional
type, nonmechanical parking stations are constructed underground or overground in public or
private areas.

12. Underground Metro and Road Tunnels
❑ Tunnel boring Machine (TBM)
• TBM has been perfected to excavate in
fair to hard rock masses.
• The principle of the TBM is to push
cutters against the tunnel face and then
rotate the cutters for breaking the rocks
in chips.
• Disc cutters are used for tunneling
through soft and medium hard rocks.
• Roller cutters are used in hard rocks,
although their cost is high.
❑ Precast Lining
• In some projects, fiber-reinforced precast
concrete linings have been adopted.
• Precast concrete segmental lining is now
used in soil, boulders, and weak rock
masses

13. Thank You…….