Luis Piek is a specialist in the design and construction of Tunnels and Underground space, and the West Coast Tunnel Leader for HNTB, a leader in the US Infrastructure field. Luis obtained his Structural Engineering BS and MS from UCSD and a second Masters in Tunnel Boring and Underground Technology from the Politechino di Torino, Italy. He is located in San Francisco and is a licensed PE in various locations in the USA.
With over 24 years in the industry, Luis has worked on various projects internationally and throughout the USA, most notably Lake Mead Intake No.3, LAX Crenshaw Corridor LRT, San Francisco Central Subway, DEP Rondout Bypass, Phase 2 of the BART to Silicon Valley project, and most recently as Engineer of Record for the West Seattle to Ballard Line Extensions for Sound Transit in Seattle, Washington.
Outside of his practice, he is actively involved in the Down for That Committee which seeks to inform and engage young engineers in the exciting field of the underground and tunneling industry.
In the next 50 years, the density of urban areas will increase, becoming more congested while requiring more advanced and updated infrastructure. Building tunnels and creating underground space is essential to supporting this growth. The sophistication and technology used in this field has matured rapidly in the last 25 years, and is continuing to evolve to meet the challenges faced to support the population and foster its growth. The talk will discuss current technology, and how the industry incorporates of new advances in to carry out these increasingly complex projects.