Tunnel renovation is not a linear process. Every choice about technical scope has direct consequences for regional accessibility, while accessibility requirements in turn determine what safety measures are needed. Bringing those interdependencies into view early — that is what the Tunnel Renovation Design Studio was built for.
Three interwoven design processes
Every tunnel renovation project revolves around three domains that continuously influence each other:
Scope & Execution — What is being renovated, and how? The renovation scope forms the starting point for all other trade-offs. Is it a combined civil and installation approach, or purely tunnel-technical installations and TTI? Do you work short and intense with a full closure, or phased per tube over a longer period? And which working hours apply — daytime, nights and weekends, or continuous?
Accessibility — How does the region remain accessible during the works? Every scope choice has direct consequences for traffic flows, detours and nuisance periods. Which tubes are open or closed, how does public transport run past the site, and when is the region most heavily loaded?
Tunnel Safety — Safety is a precondition, but its implementation is flexible. With a deviating level of provisions, several paths are available: additional personnel, an adapted emergency response plan, closer cooperation with emergency services, or intensive camera surveillance.
From knowledge to instrument
Insight into these three domains already exists. What was missing was an instrument that allows project teams to directly experience the interplay — without first having to write a complete project plan.
The Design Studio is such an instrument. Through a step-by-step wizard, you choose your scope, your accessibility strategy and your safety package in succession. After three steps, you see the complete picture: a reference schedule with a direct representation of how your choices affect the other domains.
Each choice card immediately shows the consequences. A “Short & Intense” scenario creates heavy regional accessibility disruption but simplifies the safety situation. A phased per-tube scenario requires a more complex safety package. That transparency helps project teams choose a well-founded direction early in the process.
Why early in the process?
Tunnel renovations have long lead times and major societal impact. Choosing night and weekend work may seem accessibility-friendly, but it increases costs and requires additional permits. A full closure demands a robust environmental management plan for the region. Discovering halfway through the planning phase that a chosen scope is incompatible with regional accessibility requirements means costly revisions.
The Design Studio pushes that trade-off forward. Not as a binding design, but as a thinking framework: a reference schedule that structures the conversation between client, contractor and community.
Try it yourself
The Tunnel Renovation Design Studio is available on innovom.nl. Whether you are doing an initial exploration, preparing a stakeholder meeting, or comparing scenarios internally — the studio provides an accessible starting point for the integral assessment that every tunnel renovation requires.
Would you like to use the Design Studio as part of a planning process, or do you have questions about the methodology? Get in touch with Innovom.