ABSTRACT
To an average person, deep excavation might conjure up thoughts of massive deep open castgold mines. Deep excavations in soil are generally carried out to enable the building of underground structures. Deep excavations in soil to enable the construction of underground structures are complicated due to the variable types of ground and groundwater that they may encounter. Successful completion of a deep excavation requires several different skills, such as planning, design, permitting, contracts, supervision, completion, payment and resolution of disputes and, if it is to be done well, a capacity for lateral thinking. Deep excavations in urban areas are adopted for multi-level basements for buildings and for underground road, underground rail and drainage infrastructure. In many cities, underground development offers protection from extreme weather with cooling in tropical locations and warmth in cold places such as Helsinki, Montreal and other cities that are frozen in winter.
