Adaptation of existing underground facilities for civil protection purposes – technical barriers and design options

Given the growing importance of infrastructure resilience and the need to enhance public safety, the possibility of using existing underground structures as temporary shelters is being explored with increasing frequency. An expert will address the issue of adapting tunnels, infrastructure facilities, and historic underground excavations for protective purposes.
Key technical and design barriers will be discussed, including: volume limitations, the airtightness of the enclosure, evacuation requirements, and the duration of safe human occupancy under conditions of limited air exchange. Particular attention will be devoted to ventilation issues and the differences between general ventilation, fire ventilation, and systems enabling the temporary isolation of underground spaces, taking into account the CO₂/O₂ balance and scenarios involving human occupancy.
The presentation will also outline the functional differences between a traditional civil defense shelter and a temporary shelter, highlighting the realistic possibilities and limitations of adapting existing underground infrastructure. The presented conclusions may serve as a starting point for developing design standards for future infrastructure investments, taking into account the potential for converting the functions of buildings.