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.
By 2025, the entire metropolitan area will be connected to fibre-optic cable. This rollout is eagerly awaited in rural and suburban areas. This would result in a positive impact on the local economy.
‘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!
The 2017 MIPIM is an unmissable event for property professionals. The event will take place from 14 to 17 March. Bouygues Construction will take the opportunity at this event to highlight our expertise as a major stakeholder in urban projects.
Interview with Marina Da Silva Carvalhais, R&D projects and Wood Construction Innovations (WeWood).
Worldwide, about 600,000 cranes are used for construction works. They are essential for numerous construction sites. Some measure up to 200 metres in height and can lift loads of 500 tonnes. Currently, a Bouygues Construction R&D project, headed by Bouygues Construction Matériel, aims to allow remote control of cranes with video assistance, using augmented reality and even some automation. What is the purpose of this ambitious system, and what does it change for workers on the sites ? Answers with Julien Meyer, manager at the lifting division at Bouygues Construction Matériel at Île-de-France.
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?
Although the HLM movement will soon be a hundred years old, it is still calmly and determinedly addressing the challenges it must face: providing homes, of course, but also accommodating changes in society. Energy transition, climate change, regional sustainability, and the shift to digitalisation are all taken into account.
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.
Applying the principles of the circular economy to the city, circular urbanism advocates a change of approach to build the city on itself and make better use of existing assets and resources in the process of urban design. This is a matter of urgency in the context of climate change, resource scarcity and the critical fragility of the ecosystems from which the materials are taken. According to Sylvain Grisot, author of a manifesto on the subject, recycling spaces, transforming the existing while avoiding deconstruction, and intensifying the uses of spaces are the three golden rules to adopt in order to radically change our methods. Among the many possible tools, let’s explore the dismantlability of buildings: what is a dismantlable building, how should it be designed and for what purpose?
