Settlements induced by tunneling in Soft Ground

This document is primarily designed to inform participants directly involved in construction (owners, engineers, design offices, contractors, etc.). It is also to inform private and public decision makers, or even local residents, and to clarify the current misconceptions on the so-called "zero settlement promise" by giving a well-documented presentation on the admissible settlement concept. This document serves as a first stage. It shall be revised in due course to provide methods for estimating settlement and provide damage criteria derived from experience. We may assume that with the support of owners, who are directly concerned with the consequences of their works, there will be considerable feedback from the many work sites under way at the time of writing these recommendations.