Week of 5 September
1. Half of the raft has been poured on Abobo (Ivory Coast)
The Abobo project includes civil works for the construction of a 560-metre long tunnel, including access ramps, and will participate in the development of the Abobo Town Hall roundabout in Abidjan, significantly improving traffic flow in the Abidjan metropolitan area. The tunnel is built using the 'cut-and-cover' method, which consists of building a trench in which the infrastructure is constructed in the open air before being covered. Its construction requires amongst others the pouring of more than 10,000 m³ of structural concrete in the trenches.
Works are progressing extremely well. The Ivory Coast colleagues in Abidjan have already poured more than half of the raft, i.e. no less than 5,800 m³ of concrete. In the coming weeks, works will focus on finishing the jambs and piles of the future tunnel and the concreting of the cover slab. Formwork will be on-site in October: the coming months will be ‘heavy’ with concrete 😉 All the best to our colleagues!
2. Material circularity in practice (Belgium)
The Fonsny project covers the new headquarters of the Belgian railway company SNCB/NMBS, at the heart of Brussels. It includes the renovation of old buildings dating back to the 1958 Brussels World Expo and is a fantastic example of the integration of material circularity in building design, a segment in which BESIX wishes to position itself increasingly.
On the construction site, the colleagues of the joint venture BESIX-BPC are currently in the phase of preparatory dismantling works. (PS: The project is still in this preparatory phase, as a neighbouring municipality has filed a claim against the construction permit). They are dismantling, cleaning and storing loads of materials which will be reused in the new building and will eventually return to their original place after 2 or 3 years! The quantity of dismantled materials is impressive: 600m² of wall tiles, 75 to 100 lamps, 9 clocks (typical for railway stations), 25 m² of a historic overview board of the Belgian railway lines… Congratulations to BESIX’s durability experts for this very innovative project!
3. Close to 10,000 Xbloc elements for Vistula Spit (Poland)
With the first vessels sailing through the channel in less than three weeks, it’s all hands on deck at the Vistula Spit project in Poland. As the end is coming near, it also means that milestones are following each other at a quick pace. Last week, for example, the teams installed the very last of no less than 9,987 Xbloc elements! Thanks to their symmetrical shape, these innovative elements interlock on all sides, enabling an easy and quick installation. On top of that, their shape requires less material, which makes them the perfect sustainable solution to reinforce the breakwaters. Well done and good luck with the final stretch, team!
4. Delivery of the Louise-Marie project: sustainable, respectful and economical use of space (Belgium)
Our colleagues from Vanhout have reached the finish line in the impressive Louise-Marie project, located next to the Singel, the large ring road in Antwerp: the project is delivered! This complex consists of two 14-storey buildings connected by a unique acoustic glass screen. This glass wall reduces the noise from the Singel traffic to an acceptable level of background noise and reduces the nuisance caused by the wind. Without this wall, this location would be unbearable. This gigantic “window” also provides a lot of light for the inhabitants of the 207 apartments, which are almost all sold out! Congratulations to our colleagues for the delivery of this jewel.
And then this… Art is everywhere (Belgium)
Our colleague Alivert has temporarily left his usual function to… take up brushes and colour pots! Designer in his heart, Alivert has painted the concrete flower pots at the entrance of the Equipment & Maintenance Depot in the BESIX colours. His art is really lighting up the place. We take this opportunity to pay tribute to the colleagues in the Equipment & Maintenance Depot who often work behind the scenes to keep our projects running!
