The large influx of public to the Innovation Tunnel installed in Plaza Callao has exceeded the forecasts of the organizers. Over 30.000 people have visited this free exhibition that has shown pieces that represent the innovative capacity of Spanish civil engineering. To this data we must add the participation of citizens in other activities such as visits to Madrid infrastructure, workshops and educational and recreational activities for young people, as well as those attending the inauguration, which in total involve 33,100 people who have actively participated in this edition of Madrid’s Civil Engineering Week.
The dean of the College of Civil Engineers of Madrid, Lola Ortiz, has assured that “we celebrate the great interest that this sample of the innovative leadership of Spanish engineering in the world has generated and have brought to society a profession that improves the quality of our daily lives".
Spain is the second country in the world that is doing more works outside of Spain, behind China, and Spanish companies are the ones that obtain the most concessions. The innovation of Spanish engineering is one of the elements that foster such leadership. Ortiz has affirmed that “Spanish road engineers are successfully overcoming major construction, transportation, energy and infrastructure management challenges internationally. We are proud that road engineers add value to the Spain brand. ”
In the "Innovation Tunnel", installed in the Plaza Callao from Tuesday 1 to last Sunday, October 6, models and elements of the Spanish civil engineering of Acciona, Caleido, National Security Center, Castellana District have been exhibited North, Dragados, FCCo, Ferrovial, Ineco, Metro de Madrid, Sacyr, OHL and the Alfonso Décimo el Sabio University.
In this exhibition space of 225 square meters, visitors have been able to see, among other elements, a demonstration of how to control the oscillation of a skyscraper, the model of an intelligent city, real pieces of a cable-stayed bridge, recognition systems facial and a reproduction of the lighthouse of the Port of Valencia built with sustainable materials.
Within the activities of the Civil Engineering Week, more than 300 people have also participated in the circuit of free guided tours to 21 infrastructures and control centers managed by Madrid’s City Council, Adif, Canal de Isabel II, Experimentation Center Public Works (CEDEX), Metro Madrid, Municipal Transport Company (EMT) and the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) which are not usually open to the public.
Among these visits are the 4.0 subway station, the Loeches sludge plant, the El Pontón and Atazar dams, the CEDEX railway drawer, the Idom technology building, and the Beti-Jai Pavillion.
During the Week, children's and youth workshops have also been organized to awaken vocations in this profession in which elementary and secondary school students have actively participated. In addition, a contest of ideas was promoted to improve mobility in the area of Las Vistillas and music concerts were held. Such performances gathered hundreds of people as a public on Saturday afternoon in the Plaza de Callao.
In this 5th edition of the civil engineering Week themed “Innovate to move forward” more than 65 companies and institutions have collaborated and King Felipe VI has chaired the honor committee.
Colegio de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos, created in 1959 registers over 25.000 chartered civil engineers.
