Presentation
Serving a professional community
Ambitious goals and a very broad range of action
The French Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (Association Française des Tunnels et de l’Espace Souterrain – AFTES) is a proactive umbrella organisation for all industry stakeholders, including investors, contracting authorities, prime contractors, engineering and inspection agencies, research and training centres, contractors, consultants, architects, urban planners, equipment manufacturers and educators.
AFTES core goals:
- Define and roll out a high-level technical recommendations that share the state of the art and feedback from the profession.
- Improve knowledge in our fields of expertise.
- Confer with members and disseminate as widely as possible the research and recommendations of its Working Groups, and more generally, all available technical, contractual, labour-related and environmental information.
- Promote underground space and support all related awareness-raising initiatives.
- Support the development and promotion of French engineering expertise, contractors and manufacturers.
- Foster interest in underground professions among young construction engineers and technicians.
AFTES is a national organisation and a member of the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA-AITES).
The French Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (AFTES) was created in 1972 to address the recommendations arising from the 1970 International Conference on Underground Works held in Washington, which proposed setting up organisations in each country to provide a forum for stakeholders involved in various capacities in underground works.
AFTES also maintains ongoing relationships with other French associations that have related interests: Société de l’Industrie Minérale (Mineral Industry Society), Comité Français de Mécanique des Sols (French Soil Mechanics Committee), Comité Français de Mécanique des Roches (French Rock Mechanics Committee), Ville Sans Tranchée (French Society for Trenchless Technology), etc.
Lastly, it represents France within the International Tunnelling Association (ITA-IATES).
Download the AFTES brochure
