It's the world's longest sea-crossing bridge: 55 kilometres of motorway spans the Pearl River Estuary in the South China Sea before dipping into an undersea tunnel. The Chinese President Xi Jinping has today officially opened the gigantic infrastructure linking Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China. A colossal engineering structure, involving the Bouygues Construction subsidiaries Bouygues Travaux Publics, Dragages Hong Kong and VSL for the construction of a 9.4-kilometre section.
A bridge of strategic importance 5714 prefabricated segments of 250 different types, laid down at the rate of 18 per day, shaft grouted friction piling method to cope with difficult ground conditions – a technical first in Hong Kong –, sea-based installations and specific logistical arrangements to maintain the waterways throughout the duration of the works... Some notable innovations for the construction of this extraordinary bridge structure. It is now possible to reach Hong Kong from the main cities of the Pearl River delta in 30 minutes, compared with four hours by land and one hour by boat. A real basis for stimulating commercial ties between the two sides of the crossing.
In February 2005, France adopted a law making it mandatory for cities to create a living environment adapted to people with disabilities by making urban areas accessible to all within 10 years. However, the additional time granted and the leniency shown due to difficulties cities faced in meeting the established deadlines have greatly brought down the initial goal.
The fight against urban sprawl and land artificialisation is a national priority that is pushing those in the building sector to look for solutions to make cities denser. One of these solutions is to build ever taller buildings. A controversial issue.
And what if IKEA were set to sell us not flat-packed furniture but pre-packed Smart City kits? This is just what the Swedish giant seems to be working on, if its latest announcement is anything to go by. Named SolarVille, the project designed by Space10, its in-house innovation lab, can power a community with solar energy by way of a smart microgrid using blockchain technology.
This is an entirely new approach to construction, a more ethical and sustainable one. It involves predicting changes in usage, and the reversibility of a building after construction The aim is to be able to change the building's purpose easily to accompany changes in lifestyle and in the regions themselves.
The holidays are fast approaching, and winter is here. To mark the occasion, Bouygues Construction has a surprise in store. We’ve got something lovely to show you: postcards of our most beautiful buildings, old and new. Chalets, airports, hotels... all in the snow! We would like to take this opportunity to offer you our best wishes for the holiday season and the new year !
Damien Delbende, Bouygues Construction's Data Lab Manager, introduces the new leveraging service for in-house data.
The COVID-19 pandemic, through the urban planning initiative of "coronavirus bike lanes", has highlighted the return of the bicycle to the city. In reality, this comeback has been under way for many years, though it did get a recent boost. What are the causes? What are the consequences on urban planning today? What will bicycles in cities look like ?
‘To better understand and interpret the behaviour of tunnel boring machines in order to anticipate and solve technical problems within the industry is the subject of Mehdi Mahmoudysepehr’s doctoral research project. He is a PhD student at Chaire Construction 4.0. He tells us more about it below!
Urban projects, infrastructures, recharging stations for electric vehicles, Smart City ... The world of mobilities is changing every day and various different factors of it influence our daily lives. Introducing our series of expert testimonials on the subject. The first contribution is from Virginie Alonzi, Outlook Director at Bouygues Construction. She discusses the innovative solutions that are arising in the wake of emerging uses?
