Week of 19 December
1. BESIX invited at the conference ‘Youngsters, climate, and the employment market’ in Brussels (Belgium)
On 30/11, Geert Aelbrecht, our Chief People Officer and Group Sustainability & ESG Officer, spoke at an event organised in Brussels by CFDD, the council which advises the Belgian Federal Government on sustainable development matters. The forum entitled ‘Youngsters, climate, and the employment market’ was presided by Prof. Jean-Pascal van Ypersele from the University of Leuven and Prof. Ilse Loots from the University of Antwerp.
This event aimed at creating a constructive dialogue between young people, professionals in the youth sector, the transition-oriented business world, the education and training sector, policy makers and anyone concerned with a liveable future.
Geert talked about the challenges and opportunities for BESIX in a construction market with an ever-growing urge for sustainability. He also talked about the new employment opportunities and challenges which go along, requiring more and more specific skills from candidates.
2. High-ranking visit at our Waste-to-Energy facility site in Dubai (UAE)
The Belgian Ambassador to the UAE, H.E. Antoine Delcourt, recently did us the honour to visit our ‘Waste-to-Energy’ site in Dubai. He was welcomed by Peter Lembrechts, General Manager BESIX Middle East.
The Dubai Waste-to-Energy project, led by the Dubai Municipality, consists of one of the largest Waste-to-Energy plants, which will process 1.9 million tonnes per year of waste diverted from landfill per year, to create an energy source of 200MW of renewable electricity.
3. Vickers Vimy plane final journey complete as new exhibition opens to the public at Adelaide Airport (Australia)
The Vickers Vimy plane recently reached its final destination, a dedicated interactive exhibition area located in the terminal of Adelaide Airport. The display area, officially opened on 16 December, was built by BESIX Watpac, in addition to the expansion and refurbishment of the main terminal.
The more than 100-year-old Vickers Vimy, a biplane made of wood lined with fabric with open cockpits, was the first aircraft to fly from England to Australia in 1919, piloted by the Smith brothers, during an 18,000km pioneering flight totalling 28 days, with no more than a compass and maps for navigation.
Earlier this year it was dismantled and relocated from its old hangar to the new purpose-built memorial space where it was pieced back together. Thanks to this delicate operation the plane can now be displayed in a sufficiently prominent location for such an incredibly important piece of aviation history, for the pleasure of millions of tourists and Australians, ensuring the story of the Vickers Vimy will be passed on for generations to come.
BESIX Watpac participated in the project together with Adelaide Airport, federal and state authorities and several local associations and companies, as well as the descendants of the original flight crew.
Have a look at this video made by Adelaide Airport to see how delicate it has been to move the Vickers Vimy plane:
4. BESIX and Socogetra go for a Level 3 certification on the CO2 performance ladder in Pommeroeul (Belgium)
BESIX and Socogetra are working jointly on a waterway project in Pommeroeul. Together they are aiming at a level 3 certification on the CO2 performance ladder.
The project includes the construction of a quay wall (equipped with mooring bollards and ladders), but also the pouring of a reinforced concrete slab for the transhipment of cargo, the construction of an access road, a temporary drainage system and a green area.
During a conference held last week about our efforts to reduce CO2 emissions on this site, several aspects were tackled such as provisional reports, monitoring methods, reduction measures and their implementation on site, and the overall energy policy of the site.
You can read more about the CO2 performance ladder, an absolute priority for BESIX, in our new internal magazine Inside #116!
And then this...
Ho ho ho! Santa Claus on his sleigh pulled by reindeer was recently spotted on the roof of the BESIX Infra warehouse! Does that mean our colleagues there will be spoiled by Santa?
