Week of 1 July
1. CIRCL builds a house in just a few weeks (Belgium)
In the presence of local officials, CIRCL, Vanhout’s subsidiary specialised in constructing or renovating energy-efficient houses, recently inaugurated a beautiful rental house in Edegem, in the Belgian province of Antwerp. Way to go, CIRCL!
The house was built in a record time of two months on a particularly small plot. Two old garage boxes between three flat blocks were demolished to build this beautiful 145 m² single-family house with four floors including a roof terrace. The construction foresaw that the adjacent buildings' walls were also isolated. CIRCL uses 70 % of bio-based materials and 40 % of materials are recycled. The construction of the house in Edegem saved 47.3 tonnes of CO2.
2. Four-year milestone for Nachtigal hydropower project (Cameroon)
The picture below from our client Nachtigal Hydro Power Company shows the amazing progress that was made on the hydropower project in Cameroon. It includes the construction of a dam and a hydroelectric station and will cover 30 % of the country's energy needs. What you see in the picture is the 3.3-km-long and 14-metre-deep inlet canal. Congrats Nachtigal team on this important milestone!
3. Well done Isopearls! (Belgium)
Kudos to the Isopearls team for their remarkable resilience and dedication during this challenging period. Following the fire that broke out at their logistics area on June 26, they were fully operational again within just 48 hours, thanks also to the collaboration with Vanhout and other external partners. Their commitment and determination have enabled them to resume activities and continue providing exceptional service to their customers. Hats off Isopearls!
4. A27 highway expansion project site now more sustainable (The Netherlands)
Since last week, our colleagues at the A27 De Groene Waarden project can load their electric cars on-site. They have 15 double charging stations at their disposal where 30 cars can be loaded at the same time. The stations are connected to the solar panels on the roof site office. The 323 solar panels deliver 134,000 kWh per year, enough energy to charge electric vehicles AND supply the office with electricity. Cherry on the cake: the solar panels were produced in the Netherlands, they are light-weight and recyclable. The construction shack is also equipped with LED lighting featuring presence detection and a heat recovery ventilation system.
De Groene Waarden is the name of the consortium composed of BESIX, Mobilis, Van Gelder, and Mourik, responsible for the expansion of the northern section of the A27 between Houten and Everdingen to improve traffic flow. Part of the project includes the renovation of the Hagestein Bridge and the widening of the Houten Bridge. It involves a Design & Build contract that the consortium is handling in two phases for Rijkswaterstaat.
And then this… BYC visits our Steel & Formwork site (Belgium)
Approximately 40 of our younger colleagues recently visited the Steel & Formwork site in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, near Brussels. Dirk Stevens, the site manager, guided them through the prefabrication area where they observed machines such as rebar steel cutters and benders. They also explored the material yard to see the range of equipment available. Following the visit, they had the chance to network over refreshments.
The BESIX Young Community, or BYC, brings together BESIX employees under the age of 37, through the organisation of activities aimed at creating a network and a community. Such communities exist in several countries where the group is active.