Bouygues Construction signs a contract in Hong Kong worth 490 million euros
Dragages Hong Kong, a subsidiary of Bouygues Construction, was recently awarded a major Hong Kong contract worth 490million euros. The Cruise Terminal Building project is a design-build contract for a harbour terminal for cruise ships along with supporting facilities.
The installation, which is located to the south of the former runway of the former Kai Tak airport, will be capable of simultaneously berthing two 8,000-passenger mega cruise liners.
Designed by architects Foster + Partners and Wong Tung & Partners, the building will consist of a three-storey open plan landscaped structure. The absence of columns allows highly modular use of space.
The project has been designed to comply with the demands of Hong Kong BEAM(1) certification with regard to the precepts of sustainable construction, combining energy saving measures with a focus on the building's long-term performance: reduced energy consumption, renewable energies, recycling, etc.
Works have recently begun and will last two and a half years (30 months), requiring a workforce of roughly 3,000 during peak periods. The terminal building and the first berth are scheduled to come into operation in mid-2013. When the facility is in operation, more than 5,000 jobs will be created.
The terminal will be one of the world's most modern cruise ship berthing facilities, and will strengthen Hong Kong's standing among the region's principal cruise hubs.
Bouygues Construction operates three subsidiaries in Hong Kong: Dragages Hong Kong, VSL (post-tensioning, cable-stay systems for bridges and special foundations) and Byme (mechanical and electrical). It already has numerous buildings and structures to its credit in the territory, among the most recent of which are the Lok Ma Chau tunnel (2006), AsiaWorld-Expo (2006), the East Tsing Yi viaduct (2008), the Ocean Park theme park (2009) and the Sky City Marriott hotel (2009). It is currently working on the rainwater drainage tunnel (handover 2011), the Civil Aviation Department headquarters (handover early 2012) and the extension of the West Island Line metro (handover 2014).
(1) Hong Kong BEAM certification is a green building label awarded by the Hong Kong authorities.