Week of 2 September
1. From bare bones to a nine-storey landmark in eight months (New Zealand)
Christchurch City Council, on behalf of whom BESIX Watpac is building the new fully covered stadium Te Kaha (New Zealand), has shared an impressive timelapse video capturing the past eight months of construction. The video starts in November 2023, just ahead of work beginning on the roof support structure and culminates with the first section of roof being installed in the south stand last week. Up until now, the site team has installed 28 of the 40 radial trusses that form the roof structure and have performed more than one million work hours!
2. Sustainable transport by ship with BESIX Infra (Belgium)
Since three years, BESIX Infra’s facility in Bilzen (Belgium) has been a certified storage site for tar-containing asphalt before it’s transferred to a thermal cleaning facility in the Netherlands. Instead of transporting this asphalt exclusively by truck, our colleagues have opted for a more sustainable alternative: transport by ship!
Last week, a new shipment of 1,500 tonnes left the loading quay in Genk (Belgium) to be transported to Rotterdam (the Netherlands) for thermal processing. This replaces 52 truck journeys, which not only reduces traffic congestion but also significantly lowers CO2 emissions. Annually, more than 8,000 tonnes will be transported by BESIX Infra this way, which correponds with approximately 275 fewer trucks on the road!
3. First girder Bypass Oosterweel link in place (Belgium)
Last week our colleagues of the ROCO joint-venture in Antwerp (Belgium) have installed the first girders for the Bypass, which is the temporary highway that is realised right next to the existing Antwerp ring road as part of the broader Oosterweel project. It will accommodate traffic while the iconic Merksem viaduct is demolished and replaced by a sunken, maximally covered ring road.
In total, no less than 915 concrete girders will be installed in the coming months. On average, the girders are 30 metres long and weigh 50 tonnes! Our client, Lantis, has also posted a video on their LinkedIn page of the installation, which you can watch here.
4. When Guggenheim meets Le Louvre (UAE)
The Department of Culture and Tourism of Abu Dhabi recently invited 150 workers from the Guggenheim Museum project to the Louvre Museum Abu Dhabi for a private guided tour. Typically closed on Mondays, the museum opened its doors after working hours, offering our workers the unique privilege of exploring an empty museum.
Both museums are located on Saadiyat Island, which is currently emerging as the cultural hub of the United Arab Emirates. Alongside the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, our BESIX Middle East colleagues are also building the Zayed National Museum, which will pay tribute to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the nation’s founding father.
And then this… BESIX Group Executive Committee on the move
A couple of weeks ago, the members of the Group’s Executive Committee gathered to discuss strategy and culture, governance and team dynamics. A successful experience in the rolling hills of Spa (Belgium)!
