Week of 15 July
1. BESIX Unitec Nederland soon to complete fire detection installation in Rijswijk (The Netherlands)
BESIX Unitec’s Building Technics team is installing a smart fibre-laser across the four tracks of the station of Rijswijk in the western Netherlands. This fibre-optic cable detects heat and activates fire alarms, allowing to know exactly where a fire breaks out. BESIX Unitec Nederland has already made preparations and will commission this innovative system this summer. Way to go BESIX Unitec!
2. Rediscovered engineering gems of Florenville bridge’s past (Belgium)
Our colleagues from Socogetra have discovered old drawings of the bridge of Florenville they are renovating in the Belgian Province of Luxembourg, in a beautiful one-stop shop collaboration with GNB Béton, one of their subsidiaries, and LuxTP. The initial bridge dates back to 1877 and was renovated a first time and cast in concrete in 1940.
The renovation includes replacing or treating the rebar of the structure and repairing the concrete where necessary, replacing the supporting walls, initially made of bricks, with reinforced concrete walls with a stone effect, and replacing the railings and fences. The internal teams carried out the stability study, determined the strength of the Berlin-type shoring, drew up plans for the formwork, and took care of the reinforcement steel and the earthworks. Works should be completed in September with road repairs. Congrats on this beautiful collective work to all teams!
3. Nice progress at Abu Dhabi Guggenheim (United Arab Emirates)
In Abu Dhabi, the Guggenheim team is making steady progress in various areas such as the marine works and the construction of the atrium, external galleries, and cones. On the slab level, the first segments of the temporary tower of cone 2 are being installed. The cone 2 mock-up has been completed for inspection. Ground assembly for all cones is ongoing. On cone 9, the picture frames with cone mesh are being installed via rope access. Cable cranes are being tested for the interior wall lifting. They will be used to guide the panels in place where crane access is not possible. Thumbs up on this beautiful progress Guggenheim team!
4. Diaphragm wall testing at Portonave (Brazil)
Our team in Brazil is currently carrying out testing works for the diaphragm walls of the quay. In the first picture, you can see the guide walls and the grab that is used to excavate the ground for the 60-metre-deep diaphragm wall test panel. While the ground is excavated, bentonite is placed instead. Then the steel cage you see in the second picture can be placed.
In the port of Navegantes, BESIX and ECB are upgrading Portonave’s maritime infrastructure to enable larger vessels to dock in the port. This includes the construction of a new quay wall at the same location as the existing one and with minimal disturbance to the port’s activities.
And then this…
Our colleague from BESIX Watpac, Breanne Saltner, had the honour recently to provide the ‘Welcome to the Country’* ceremony at the National Rugby League Women's State of Origin match in front of the 22,000 spectators. This match is a representative rugby league game, featuring the best female players from the Australian states of New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland (QLD). Breanne is a proud Wulgurukaba Traditional Owner and the venue, Queensland Country Bank Stadium, was one of the first projects Breanne was involved in when she joined BESIX Watpac as a Project Assistant! “I feel like I’ve conquered my fears of public speaking. BESIX Watpac has helped me over the years to build my self-confidence,” Breanne said.
* Welcome to Country are traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander customs to welcome others to their land, that are often performed at various events, including major sports events or the start of a construction project.
