Rock Mechanics as a study, died with the turn of the century. Everybody just decided to go with 'design build' and pay for extras. This has resulted in a lot of disasters, pasted over with a lot of money.
Geotechnical Engineering also died because of retaining wall systems. No need for any academic work.
Now, it is all changing. My goal is to have an underground space so inviting that you can't tell in a blind test whether you are on the beach in California, or underground. Really, that's not a possibility because of the travel. But, it is a dream!
We are entering an ice cycle, or Ice Age without continental glaciation. Do you want to be on the street at 50 below? The Chinese are doing all this underground stuff. They need to instrument everything and look at the bigger picture.
The study of Rock Mechanics will now go beyond rockbolts. I hope to be part of this.
ps Rock Mechanics needs a new name. Rock Physics? Rock Design? Undergound Architecture?
No comments:
Post a Comment