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.
Resistant, light, efficient, ecological… Flax is used in construction on land and even on the sea! In 2022, the Netherlands inaugurated the world’s first linen bridge. A navigator used it to build the hull of his boat… Can this plant material really meet the needs of urban construction?
Carbon sinks are essential tools for combating climate change. They raise issues of environmental protection and restoration as well as technological innovation. Some of them are natural, others man-made. But they all act to capture carbon and ultimately reduce air pollution. They have already been discussed in the “Carbon Resilience” trend note; in this article we will look at the prospects for technical development and the absorption capacity of the systems in place.
In 2021, disability inclusion is about much more than simply hiring people with disabilities. That's because there are lots of different kinds of disabilities, most of which are invisible. There are also a great many issues involved: performance, recruitment, employee loyalty. Realising this, companies are reviewing their standards and taking internal measures accordingly.
How to be attractive, create value and be scalable is the challenge for office buildings in order to meet all the complexity of an increasingly pressurised market. The uses and structure of such buildings require urgent rethinking in order to meet the new expectations of their occupants, as well as health and environmental issues. Solutions exist, but such changes must be anticipated in order to be implemented effectively.
Intrapreneurship is a way of developing an innovative project without leaving your company. How does it work? What do you need to know before you start? Nicolas Courtois and Nicolas Dubreil, intrapreneurs from NewValue, seasons 1 and 2, told us about their recent experience in the matter.
Wood construction is currently gaining ground in all construction sectors. And this is only the beginning! In the context of decarbonisation of the building sector, the RE2020 is bringing bio-sourced materials to the forefront. Let’s take a look at a flourishing sector.
In the last segment of its sixth activity report, the GIEC specifies very clearly that on the economic level, the ecological transition will prove less expensive for the global economy than if we do nothing. Several sectors are highly exposed to this issue, in particular transport, energy and construction. But acting, how much will it cost? The subject is a complex one but initial estimates are starting to be seen.
Bouygues Bâtiment Ile-de-France, Parisian subsidiary of Bouygues Construction, is the first construction company in France to set up a common tower, which is on the Tour Alto construction site in La Défense.
Providing levers for attaining the goals of sustainable development, such is the ambition of Cities to Be. In concrete terms, this means pooling experiences, solutions and best practices, generating momentum among the territories, and persuading players of the building sector to commit to such goals. All in the aim of creating a denser, more resilient city that offers, quite simply, a pleasant way of life.
