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.
Straw is increasingly becoming a part of the construction sector due to its low cost and great insulating properties. This return to basics is also driven by a desire to build in a more environmentally friendly way. This renewable insulating material has a lot going for it, including being a better circular economy solution and having a low carbon footprint, even though it requires some guidance in and care over its use.
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.
Are European car manufacturers poised to switch to all-electric? On 10 September, MEPs in Brussels gave their support for draft legislation setting a 45% reduction in CO2 emissions from cars and vans under 3.5 tonnes by the year 2030, with an intermediate target of 20% by 2025. A much more ambitious roadmap than that of the European Commission, which tabled plans for a 30% reduction by 2030.
Julien Ciacci, a Rénovation Privée Project Manager, is here to talk to us about Newlife – a new company that aims to reuse and repurpose construction site materials.
Romain Bonnet, in charge of R&D projects in the Environment and Eco-design Division, introduces us to the multi-partner approach VIBEO (Intangible Value of the Buildings and Well-Being of the Occupants)
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.
Multiple societal transitions (demographic, epidemiological, urban, digital) are influencing the field of health and generating new challenges: how can we extend the healthy life expectancy of an ageing society?
New residential complex Woodleigh Lane in Singapore is going to be build by Dragages Singapore, subsidiary of Bouygues Construction. Another modular construction reference on the island for Bouygues Construction. Aurélie Cléraux, Modular construction and innovation manager, tell us more about this revolution.
Dr. Al-Hussein’s research has proffered a number of contributions to the industrialization of the building construction process through the development of modular and offsite construction technologies. He's telling us about it!
