Science meets mechanical engineering, theory meets practice, and academia meets industry. And Zurich meets Schwanau. Georgios Anagnostou and Martin Herrenknecht have a good reason to meet: A joint study by ETH Zurich and Herrenknecht AG on the feasibility of a tunnel under the Strait of Gibraltar has been finalised and concludes that this long-cherished dream is now technically feasible.
Follow the two expert's conversation in the video below.
"The feasibility study is a magnificent result of the excellent collaboration between our engineers and your Team at ETH Zurich."
Dr.-Ing. E.h. Martin Herrenknecht
"Today, the project is more relevant than ever – not because the idea is new, but because we now have a better understanding of the challenges and possess the necessary technology."
Prof. em. Dr. Georgios Anagnostou
Prof. Emeritus Dr. Georgios Anagnostou
Since September 1, 2003, Full Professor of Tunnelling at the Division of Geotechnical Engineering, Dept. of Civil, Environmental, and Geomatics Engineering, ETH Zurich • Emeritus since February 2025
Born on October 8, 1959, in Athens (Greece) • Studied civil engineering at the University of Karlsruhe • After receiving his diploma (1983), joined the research staff of Prof. Kovári in the Rock Mechanics and Tunnelling group at ETH Zurich • Ph.D. on swelling rock (1991) • Appointed “Sir Alan Muir Wood Memorial Lecturer” by the International Tunnelling Association in 2014 • Geotechnical Research Medal from the Institution of Civil Engineers (2016) • Giovanni Barla Best Paper Award 2025 from the journal “Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering”
Dr.-Ing. E.h. Martin Herrenknecht
Founder and CEO of Herrenknecht AG
Born on June 24, 1942, in Lahr (Germany) • Studied mechanical engineering at the University of Applied Sciences in Konstanz • 1998 Honorary Doctorate (Dr.-Ing. E.h.) from the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Surveying at the Carolo-Wilhelmina Technical University of Braunschweig • 2007 Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany • 2009 Moles Award • 2016 Werner von Siemens Ring • Appointed “Sir Alan Muir Wood Memorial Lecturer” by the International Tunnelling Association in 2019
The video is a compilation of a longer conversation between Georgios Anagnostou and Martin Herrenknecht that took place on June 10, 2026, at the headquarters of Herrenknecht AG in Schwanau-Allmannsweier, southern Germany.
A written version of the conversation can be found in Issue 3/2026 of the trade journal TUNNEL, published by Bauverlag.
